Jane Doe Defendant Wants Letitia James Removed From Cornell Investigation

Teny Geragos, who is representing Winston Lee, one of the Cornell frat bros accused in the Jane Doe case, is calling foul and wants New York Attorney General Letitia James to be removed as special prosecutor ... TMZ has learned.

Geragos filed legal docs Friday, obtained by TMZ, claiming James should be booted from the case because she's prejudged it.

Geragos says James and New York Governor Kathy Hochul "have together created a blatant appearance of impropriety that, combined with the AG's ethical violations, should lead to the AG's recusal."

Lee's lawyer is referring to a statement James made early on ... "What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I'm holding her in my heart and my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you're not alone. We stand with you."

Geragos calls the comments "prejudicial extrajudicial statements in violation of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct."

But that's not all. Geragos thinks James has polluted the grand jury, claiming "the AG's public statements have prejudiced grand jurors because the AG has already publicly prejudged the guilt of the subjects of this investigation."

Geragos wants grand jurors polled to determine the extent of "their exposure to the AG's outrageous statements."

The appointment of James is also a political stunt, claims Geragos, who says it came during a close gubernatorial race where Hochul's opponent has been attacking her for being soft on crime.