Four men named in a former Cornell University student's lawsuit are joining an effort to block New York's attorney general from leading a reopened criminal investigation into the woman's gang rape allegations, according to court filings on Thursday.

The men agreed to be added to a co-defendant's court petition seeking Attorney General Letitia James' removal from the case because of social media posts she made prior to her involvement in which she condemned the alleged assault and expressed support for the accuser.

The development comes a day after James appointed Jacqueline Kelly, a former federal prosecutor who oversaw a sex crimes case against music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs, as outside counsel for the investigation.