Gov. Hochul’s Cornell Sexual-Assault Documentary Cameo Raises ‘Air of Impropriety’ Around Investigation, Attorney Says

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is facing criticism over her participation in a Netflix documentary examining allegations that seven men sexually assaulted a woman at Cornell University, as the case undergoes a renewed investigation.

The seven men have not been criminally charged. In October, Hochul signed an executive order appointing New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to oversee the investigation.

In the newly released documentary titled “Instadocs: Jane Doe v. Cornell,” Hochul appears around 13 minutes into the film, expressing her own reaction to news surrounding the case.

In an interview for the documentary, Hochul described her immediate response to the allegations. “My first reaction was how disgusting, not again. You feel like, not again,” she said.

The governor also connected the case to her own experience as an undergraduate at Syracuse University in the late 1970s.

“There were a series of rapes our first week on campus and there was a sense of anxiety all around,” Hochul recalled.

She denounced what she characterized as a persistent campus “culture” that “has never changed.”

“The number of people involved and the repugnancy of her allegations would’ve drawn you to local police department fairly quickly,” Hochul said.

The allegations, filed publicly under the name Jane Doe, drew national attention after she brought a civil lawsuit against seven Cornell Chi Phi fraternity members, the university, her sorority and other parties. She alleged that she was drugged and gang-raped inside a fraternity house in 2024.

Jane Doe filed the lawsuit nearly two years after first reporting the allegations to local authorities. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said that “multiple prosecutors and criminal investigators reviewed Jane Doe’s statement and correctly determined the alleged facts as set forth in the statement do not constitute a crime.”

During the Netflix interview, Hochul also addressed questions about how law enforcement handled the allegations.

“In a situation like this, you want to make sure that people believe in the process,” Hochul said.

Fox News contributor Donna Rotunno, a criminal defense attorney and host of the “Crime and Justice with Donna Rotunno” podcast, faulted Hochul for appearing in the documentary. Rotunno argued that the governor’s comments could deepen concerns about whether the investigation and potential prosecution are being handled fairly.

“The governor can say anything she wants about anything. The question is, should she?” Rotunno said.

“The problem you have here is there has already been the air of impropriety,” she added.

Rotunno further questioned the timing of Hochul’s involvement, calling the governor’s concern “suspect” and asking why she intervened two years after the allegations were first reported.

“If she was so in tune as to what was happening in Ithaca or elsewhere in the state of New York, this is probably something that should have been on her radar,” Rotunno said.

When asked by News Media about why she made the decision to appear in the documentary, a spokesperson for Hochul told News Media: “Governors routinely speak to news and media organizations about matters of significant public interest.”