A key campus police interview that local prosecutors say they never received in full before initially declining to bring charges in the Cornell University alleged rape case could face fresh scrutiny as former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates reviews the Ivy League school's handling of the allegations.

Yates, who served as deputy attorney general in the Obama administration, has been tapped by Cornell's trustees to conduct a sweeping independent review of the October 2024 allegations involving members of its Chi Phi fraternity, after the university's own investigation resulted in expulsions and suspensions.

The woman, identified in court papers by the pseudonym Jane Doe, told Cornell University Police during a November 2024 interview, "I can say with 100% confidence I was raped," according to a transcript obtained by original Title IX investigation, which determines whether students violated university sexual misconduct policies rather than criminal law.

Beyond the police interview, Iseman said Yates could identify witnesses who were never questioned, overlooked text messages or social media evidence, and other information that did not emerge during Cornell's original investigation.

"There's a lot that potentially she could uncover," Iseman said.

But he cautioned against assuming Cornell mishandled the allegations.

"It may have all been done very appropriately by Cornell. We don't know yet."

Cornell has defended its handling of the allegations, pointing to an extensive investigation that included more than 50 interviews and 12 days of disciplinary hearings.

Her findings could also lead to recommendations for improving Cornell's procedures, even if the university is found to have followed its existing rules. Cornell said Yates will report her findings and recommendations to a special committee of its Board of Trustees, which intends to share the results with the university community.

Yates has tackled explosive misconduct allegations before.

Her 2022 investigation into women's professional soccer exposed widespread sexual harassment, coercion and abuse by coaches, along with failures by league officials to act on complaints.

What began as an investigation into individual coaches exposed much wider problems across women's soccer, prompting a series of recommendations for sweeping reforms that U.S. Soccer subsequently pledged to implement.

The Cornell case also highlights a wider debate over the legal protections available to students accused of serious sexual misconduct, even as universities have the power to expel them.

John R. Grasso, a Rhode Island criminal defense attorney and former police officer who has represented accused students for two decades, argued that campus disciplinary proceedings can carry life-altering consequences without offering the same legal protections available in criminal court.

"When I defend a student on campus, we don't have any right to discovery. We can't compel the production of anything," Grasso said.

He said those limitations can make it difficult for attorneys to obtain potentially important text messages, photographs and other evidence that might support an accused student's defense.

Grasso also described the difficult choice students can face when university disciplinary proceedings and criminal investigations overlap: participating in campus proceedings and potentially making statements that could affect a criminal case, or remaining silent and risking disciplinary consequences.

"I have a right to remain silent, but if I don't participate, I'm getting found responsible," he said, describing the dilemma he has encountered representing students.

Grasso said the consequences of campus sexual misconduct allegations can extend far beyond disciplinary hearings, describing students whose education, reputations and emotional well-being have suffered even when they were ultimately cleared.

"Bad things happen to the accused the minute a complaint is filed against them on campus. Really bad things," he said.

With the allegations now under renewed scrutiny, Iseman stressed the importance of keeping an open mind about what actually happened.

"Just because the allegations are salacious or dramatic does not mean that's what happened," Iseman said. "So people need to keep an open mind."