CNN’s Jake Tapper Grills Cornell Alleged Sex Assault D.A., Brings His Own Daughter Into Debate

Jake Tapper made the Cornell alleged sex assault case personal on air … telling Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten he couldn’t imagine how angry he’d be if prosecutors handled a case involving his own daughter the same way.

During a CNN interview Monday night, Tapper had a sharp tone when pressing Van Houten over his office’s decision not to file criminal charges after a 2024 alleged assault involving a Cornell student and seven Chi Phi fraternity members.

Tapper said the Cornell University Police Department complaint described a woman who had consumed ketamine, was reportedly an eight out of ten on an intoxication scale and didn’t remember large portions of the night. He also pointed to an alleged fraternity group chat message advertising “free p***y” upstairs.

Van Houten pushed back, saying Jane Doe initially remembered “virtually everything” that happened. He also said neither she nor her attorney contacted his office after prosecutors declined to pursue charges.

The case centers on allegations Jane Doe was drinking at a Tri Delta event before going to Moonies Bar & Nightclub and Lot 10. She claims she was visibly intoxicated at Moonies and served alcohol despite being under 21, then later ended up at the Chi Phi house, where she says fraternity members pressured her to use ketamine and sexually assaulted her.

Moonies has denied serving her alcohol, telling TMZ underage guests had their hands marked and bartenders were instructed to serve only people wearing wristbands. The bar says Jane Doe’s claim that it served her alcohol is “completely inaccurate.”