OPINION:
It is October, before a midterm election, so Democrats must find and amplify a scandal so big that their base will rally to the polls. Only this time, the scandal is on them.
The Cornell University gang rape case fits the Democrats’ traditional playbook, where seven male Chi Phi fraternity members at the school supposedly drugged and sexually assaulted an incapacitated female student identified in court documents as Jane Doe, in October 2024.
As the narrative alleges, the school convened a closed proceeding to determine what had occurred that wronged the female student and let the male fraternity students off the hook. The local district attorney botched the investigation by failing to bring charges.
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Jane Doe’s civil lawsuit, filed last month, said the drug- and alcohol-fueled gathering left her “shattered and degraded.”
A #MeToo case in which rich — presumably White — frat boys are the villains, the female student is the victim and elite institutions seemingly fail her is classic Democratic fodder. College-educated White women make up roughly one-third of the Democratic Party’s self-identified base and constitute one of its most influential, reliable and progressive voting blocs. Justice for them turns out to be votes for Democrats.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was quick to seize the moment, saying she was “deeply disturbed” by the original investigation conducted by Cornell after the alleged gang rape. She appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to investigate the case.
Ms. Hochul is considering calling the state legislature into an emergency session to close New York’s so-called voluntary intoxication loophole, which critics say fails to protect rape victims who have consumed alcohol or drugs.
Both Ms. Hochul and Ms. James are up for reelection this year. Before even being appointed special prosecutor, Ms. James took to X to post her sympathies for Jane Doe.
“What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers,” Ms. James posted. “To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.”
Not to be outdone, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat — who reportedly has 2028 presidential ambitions — exaggerated Jane Doe’s civil lawsuit during a town hall last week.
“Seven men drugged and gang-raped a 20-year-old woman,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said. “They lured her into a fraternity house. They drugged her with ketamine. They then posted to a group chat that she was incapacitated, and seven men took turns gang raping her for seven hours.”
She continued: “I want to be clear that the culture of rape, sexual assault and pedophilia is protected in elite institutions across the United States, including Cornell University in this instance. It has got to stop.”
To be clear: All seven members of the fraternity have denied the allegations in Jane Doe’s lawsuit and admit no wrongdoing.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who investigated the case in 2024, determined that the facts contained in Jane Doe’s statement at the time did not support bringing criminal charges under New York law.
Cornell University also investigated and expelled two of the fraternity members, barred another, who had already graduated, from campus, and suspended two more. The fraternity, Chi Phi, was also banned from campus.
No matter what the underlying facts of the case are, if we go with the Democratic narrative, it was Democrats and Democratic institutions that failed Jane Doe.
The Cornell Daily Sun indicates that about 96% to 98% of political contributions made by Cornell University employees and professors go to Democratic candidates and left-leaning political action committees. Although university President Michael Kotlikoff has not identified himself as a member of a political party, public campaign finance records show he has given only to Democratic candidates and causes.
Eleven departments at Cornell have zero Republican professors, including in government and philosophy, The College Fix reports. According to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, Cornell University’s student body also leans heavily left, with about 5.56 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Mr. Van Houten was elected as a Democrat. His office has a motto included on all press releases and official documents: “Inclusion through diversity.”
Not surprisingly, both Mr. Van Houten and Mr. Kotlikoff have publicly backed Ms. James’ appointment and expressed support for Jane Doe.
Mr. Kotlikoff said in a video statement that the university does not have “all the answers” in Jane Doe’s case but is committed to investigating and finding them. Mr. Van Houten said he based his decision on the accuser’s initial six-page statement given to police, which did not allege criminality, but agreed to reopen his inquiry before the attorney general was assigned the case.
Democrats and Democratic institutions are responsible for Jane Doe’s plight.
However, instead of facing accountability for their failed policies, they will make political hay out of them. If that includes denying justice to the seven men accused, so be it.
• Kelly Sadler is the commentary editor at The Washington Times.
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