Norman Siegel
Role at the time: Civil-rights attorney and former NYCLU executive director
Mixed or conditional
Statement summary
Siegel welcomes outside counsel as a way to address concerns about fairness. He also warns that public officials must avoid prejudging allegations and says the facts remain unresolved.
“It’s prudent for the attorney general to appoint an outside attorney to lead and assist the case at this point. It will address some of the optics that have been raised.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)James seeks outside counsel for Cornell investigationDirect responses by Siegel, Quinn, Komatireddy, Richards and Smoker
Original reporting quotes critics and spokespeople on the search for outside counsel. The office confirms a search and discussions, not a completed appointment.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
Siegel combines criticism of prejudgment and appearance problems with approval of an independent arrangement for the investigation. The qualification concerns the handling at issue, not the truth of the allegations.