After the weeklong coverage of the Cornell rape allegation, on Friday, New York’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul decided to get involved and appointed State Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case after the allegations of “Jane Doe” against fraternity members resurfaced in a civil lawsuit against the school. NBC Nightly News was the only Friday broadcast newscast to mention the controversy over James’s selection.
Both NBC and CBS led their evening newscasts with reports on the allegations, while ABC decided to stick with the apparent attempted hijacking of a flydubai flight heading for Israel by a pilot who was known to be radicalized.
While ABC and CBS did share the news of the appointment of James as special prosecutor and aired clips from a Hochul press conference, they did not note the controversy about James' role given a social media post on her official account that seemed to have already made up her mind on if the allegations were true or not:
What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers.
To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.https://t.co/az4ViQwgy1— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) September 28, 2026
However, NBC did give a particular focus to the James aspect of the case, introduced by Tom Lamas and reported on by Maggie Vespa.
NBC was the only broadcast news show on Friday to have a decent amount of focus on the controversy behind Democrat New York Governor Kathy Hochul's appointment of Attorney General Letitia James to be special prosecutor in the Cornell rape case.
The report played a question asked… pic.twitter.com/O0w7q0KU37— Nick (@nspin310) October 3, 2026
Llama began, “New York Governor Kathy Hochul saying today that she believes the former Cornell student, who says she was raped by fraternity members back in 2024. And now Hochul is appointing the state's attorney general, Letitia James, to take over the case. But James, tasked with being an independent prosecutor, being asked about a statement she posted on Facebook that could complicate her role.”
Vespa first highlighted the Hochul press conference: “Tonight, the Cornell rape investigation taking a dramatic turn, with New York Attorney General Letitia James vowing to pursue criminal charges if the evidence supports them.”
Vespa noted, "Hochul appointing James as special prosecutor, saying she's lost faith in the local D.A.. Matthew van Houten, who two years ago declined to file charges after a female student, now known as Jane Doe, accused multiple members of the Chi Phi fraternity of assault.”
She then turned to the controversy around Jame’s selection: “James, also facing questions about her own comments on the allegations after posting earlier this week that what happened to Jane Doe was horrific and unacceptable.”
NBC even played a question to James which asked, “Why did you appoint an official who made a public statement affirming those allegations as fact? As someone who is supposed to be doing an investigation?”
Hochul responded by saying, "I will answer that. I have every confidence in our attorney general.”
Vespa then introduced James’s response: “I will not comment on a Facebook post."
Again, ABC left out this detail from their report, with only a brief mention of Hochul appointing James coming at the end of an Aaron Katersky report, where Katersky asked Hochul, “[W]hat made you lose faith in the Tompkins County district attorney's office?
CBS also did not mention the post, but wondered about the "political baggage” of appointing James:
Governor Hochul says the attorney general's investigation will not only look at the facts of the case, but also how it was handled. I asked Jane Doe's attorney if he worries whether Letitia James's appointment carries any political baggage. He says this case has nothing to do with politics, and he thinks that James has the resources needed to dedicate to this case.
The transcripts from NBC, ABC, and CBS are below. Click "expand":
NBC Nightly News
October 2, 2026
6:32:34 PM Eastern
TOM LLAMAS: Good evening, and we thank you for joining us on this Friday night. We begin with a major development in the rape accusation rocking the Ivy League campus of Cornell with a special prosecutor now taking over the case, calling it an active criminal investigation. New York Governor Kathy Hochul saying today that she believes the former Cornell student, who says she was raped by fraternity members back in 2024. And now Hochul is appointing the state's attorney general, Letitia James, to take over the case. But James, tasked with being an independent prosecutor, being asked about a statement she posted on Facebook that could complicate her role.
And tonight, NBC News has obtained hundreds of pages of evidence from the school's investigation. And we have new details tonight about who first brought the case to the authorities. And we're hearing more from the accused men in the weeks that followed about what they say they saw happen inside of the house.
We should note this is a very complicated case with a lot of conflicting accounts of exactly what happened. We begin with Maggie Vespa on the ground at Cornell University in upstate New York.
[Cuts to report]
MAGGIE VESPA: Tonight, the Cornell rape investigation taking a dramatic turn, with New York Attorney General Letitia James vowing to pursue criminal charges if the evidence supports them.
NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES: I know that you want answers. I do, too. A comprehensive investigation of this nature takes time, but my office is committed to seeing it through.
VESPA: Governor Kathy Hochul appointing James as special prosecutor, saying she's lost faith in the local D.A.. Matthew van Houten, who two years ago declined to file charges after a female student, now known as Jane Doe, accused multiple members of the Chi Phi fraternity of assault.
NEW YORK GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL: She spoke to the police. She said for hours and told them exactly what happened to her, in what world does the district attorney not interview her or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript?
VESPA: James, also facing questions about her own comments on the allegations after posting earlier this week that what happened to Jane Doe was horrific and unacceptable.
REPORTER AT HOCHUL PRESSER: Why did you appoint an official who made a public statement affirming those allegations as fact? As someone who is supposed to be doing an investigation?
HOCHUL: I will answer that. I have every confidence in our attorney general.
VESPA: But Hochul, defending her choice. And James, with this response:
JAMES: I will not comment on a Facebook post.
(...)
ABC World News Tonight
October 2, 2026
6:37:43 PM Eastern
AARON KATERSKY: Tonight, that D.A. is off the case. New York Governor Kathy Hochul naming the state's Attorney General a special prosecutor and taking aim at Cornell.
[To Hochul at Press Conference] Governor, can you clarify what made you lose faith in the Tompkins County district attorney's office?
HOCHUL: 'I’m deeply disturbed at Cornell university's police and how they handled this. They were the first ones to be able to interview and have their questions answered. And yet this young woman tell her story, Them sending a partial record over is, in my judgment, a failure.
KATERSKY: Cornell has said it conducted a thorough investigation. Several of the accused have denied wrongdoing. And tonight, David, Jane Doe’s attorney says he worried this was being swept under the rug, so he's welcoming the appointment of a special prosecutor, David?
(...)
CBS Evening News
October 2, 2026
6:31:56 PM Eastern
LILLA LUCIANO: Today, a visibly angry New York governor put the Cornell rape investigation into the hands of Letitia James as a special prosecutor.
HOCHUL: This young woman had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable, and then at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her.
(...)
6:34:09 PM Eastern
LUCIANO: Governor Hochul says the attorney general's investigation will not only look at the facts of the case, but also how it was handled. I asked Jane Doe's attorney if he worries whether Letitia James's appointment carries any political baggage. He says this case has nothing to do with politics, and he thinks that James has the resources needed to dedicate to this case. CBS News has reached out to all of the accused. Two of the attorneys hae come back to us. They've denied the allegations.
(...)
