Quick Take: Video of an Oct. 2 press gaggle shows President Trump saying he "feels badly" for "whoever" Attorney General Letitia James investigates in the Cornell sexual-assault matter and asserting those defendants "won't get a fair shake." Snopes verified the quote against C-SPAN and White House video. The remarks followed Gov. Kathy Hochul's Oct. 1 appointment of James as special prosecutor after Tompkins County reopened a criminal inquiry.
Fact Check: Trump Says He 'Feels Badly' for Men in Cornell Case, Video Confirms
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Video from Oct. 2 shows President Donald Trump telling reporters he “feels badly” for "whoever" New York Attorney General Letitia James investigates in the Cornell sexual-assault matter, arguing those defendants "won't get a fair shake." Snopes reviewed the footage and confirmed the remarks were made during a press gaggle outside the White House.
What Trump Said
DOOCY: What do you think about New York's governor appointing a special prosecutor in the Cornell rape case, Letitia James?
TRUMP: Letitia James is a corrupt person. She's totally corrupt and I can't imagine it. And, I feel badly for whoever she's looking at because they won't get a fair shake. But Letitia James is a corrupt person.
Context And Background
The exchange followed Gov. Kathy Hochul's Oct. 1 decision to name New York Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to oversee a criminal inquiry into allegations that seven current or former Cornell students sexually assaulted a woman identified as Jane Doe in court papers. The civil lawsuit was filed in mid-September, and Tompkins County prosecutors announced on Sept. 28 that they had reopened a criminal investigation.
Verification
Snopes compared the published reports to video recordings of the Oct. 2 gaggle available from C-SPAN and the White House and confirmed that Trump made the quoted remarks. The White House also defended the president's comments through a spokesperson, and Trump later posted about the case on his Truth Social account.
Why This Mattered
Observers noted the president's expressed sympathy for those under investigation and his criticism of the attorney general, while critics argued he gave little or no public attention to the alleged victim in his comments. The exchange received widespread attention on social platforms, where clips and commentary circulated rapidly.
Related Reporting
Coverage and source material include the White House press gaggle videos (Oct. 1 and Oct. 2), the Jane Doe civil complaint, the Tompkins County statement about reopening the investigation, and contemporaneous reports from media outlets such as Fox News, NBC News, The Associated Press and Courthouse News Service.
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