Alyssa Farah Griffin Is 'Uncomfortable' With Photos of Cornell 7 Going Viral Before 'Due Process'

The View panelist and former Trump White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin said she’s "uncomfortable" with photos of the men accused in the Cornell University gang r--- case spreading online before they’ve had their day in court.

“Bear with me because this may sound unpopular, but due process matters,” Griffin said during the show’s "Hot Topics" segment on Thursday, October 1.

Griffin introduced the topic of newly released text messages exchanged by Jane Doe, as the woman is identified in court papers, and one of the men she has accused. Among the newly reported texts, one of the men wrote a few days after the alleged assault, “I just wanted to apologize for how things went down the other night.”

On Sunday, November 3, 2024, Doe texted one of the men saying what occurred that night was not consensual. “I’ve read the facts of this case. I am not an attorney, but I am a little uncomfortable with these men’s faces being plastered everywhere before they’ve had their day in court,” Griffin said.

She admitted that, based on what she’s read about the case, she thinks the men “probably did it.”

She said, “I get the mob mentality. That was my first reaction. I want to name and shame, but I think we need to let the courts play out.”

The co-hosts agreed that the legal loophole that may prevent charges from being filed is reprehensible, but they also agreed that the legal system should be respected.

Griffin made a comparison to the coverage of the Exonerated Five, who were wrongfully convicted in the 1989 Central Park jogger case. “I remember we had the Exonerated Five, members of them, on our show. Their faces, the Central Park Five, were blasted all over newspapers before they had their day in court,” she stated.

“Not comparing the two, but this is still a system where there’s due process, and they have a right to their day in court,” she explained, according to a report.

On Tuesday, September 29, two days before Farah Griffin’s comments, co-host Sunny Hostin stated on the show that the case was being reported “inaccurately” and “unfairly.”

“The pictures of these young men who have not been charged, not been adjudicated are being plastered all over the internet,” she continued.

Her comments drew backlash on social media, and her fellow co-host Joy Behar pushed back during that same broadcast. “That doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that the guys attacked her, whether she’s drunk or not,” Behar said.

Doe filed a civil suit on Wednesday, September 16, against seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity, accusing them of drugging and raping her at the Chi Phi house in October 2024. To date, none of the men has been charged with a crime, and an attorney for one of the men denies the allegations.

Later on Thursday, October 1, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order to name New York State Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in this matter, replacing Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten. At a news conference on Friday, October 2, Hochul said, “In what world does the district attorney not even interview her, or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript?”

James said there is now “an active criminal investigation,” and Van Houten said he supported the appointment and would cooperate fully.