Watch: New York governor blasts handling of Cornell rape inquiry

The fallout from the handling of a 2024 alleged campus rape incident continues to rock New York's Cornell University.

At a brief news conference on Friday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she had signed an executive order appointing the state's chief prosecutor, Attorney General Letitia James, as a special prosecutor to look into matter. The investigation could result in criminal charges.

Hochul said she is "deeply disturbed" by how Cornell's campus police handled the investigation and criticised the county prosecutors for not interviewing the alleged victim themselves.

"At every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her," Hochul said of the accuser.

The governor added she will use her powers as governor to back new legislation to address what she called a "loophole" in sexual consent laws to make it more difficult to prosecute sex crimes in cases where the alleged victim voluntarily consumed alcohol or drugs.

Read more about Governor Hochul's update on the case.