Cornell University has brought in a former acting U.S. attorney general to conduct an "independent review" of its handling of a fraternity rape scandal — raising an obvious question: what exactly does an Ivy League school need federal law enforcement credentials to investigate about itself?
Sally Q. Yates, fired by Donald Trump in 2017 for ordering Justice Department lawyers not to defend his refugee ban, will now review Cornell's campus police response, coordination with outside law enforcement, disciplinary decisions, and oversight of Greek life, according to a university committee announcement. Yates, now a partner at King & Spalding, will also dig into the specifics of how Cornell handled a then-student's accusations that members of Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted her and did drugs off her body in 2024.
The hiring looks less like transparency than damage control. Cornell already conducted what it calls an "extensive Title IX investigation," disciplined students, and barred the fraternity from campus — but some accused perpetrators were allowed to remain enrolled or return, according to Arkansas Online. The local district attorney declined to file criminal charges. Only after the former student filed a lawsuit last month did the criminal case reopen, with New York Attorney General Letitia James taking over the probe at Gov. Kathy Hochul's appointment.
Now the due process fight is on. Attorneys for two accused fraternity members — Winston Lee and Gillio Lopes — have filed motions seeking James's recusal, arguing she publicly pre-judged the case. Before her appointment as special prosecutor, James posted on social media: "What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. To her and all other survivors: You're not alone. We stand with you." Lopes's attorney Andrew Miltenberg said Friday that "the public needs confidence that the person directing this investigation will evaluate the evidence with an open mind." A spokesperson for James's office countered that the AG is "committed to conducting a comprehensive review of nothing but the facts, the evidence, and the law."
None of the men named in the suit have been criminally charged. Lee and Lopes deny the accusations. Two other named defendants have also denied separate allegations against them.
Meanwhile, Cornell's own campus is in revolt. Faculty have drafted a no-confidence resolution against the central administration — a rare move that could reach the Faculty Senate as early as next week. Hundreds of students protested Monday, and activists vandalized an administration building before dawn that same day.
Cornell spokesman Kyle Kimball said the university "understands the frustration." But hiring a politically connected former prosecutor to review your own institutional failures isn't understanding — it's managing the optics. The question isn't whether Yates will find problems. It's whether a university that couldn't follow its own policies the first time around will actually answer for them, or just produce another report to file away.
