The House Education and Workforce Committee is threatening to retaliate against Harvard University after accusing the Ivy League school of insufficient response to its investigation into anti-Semitism.
Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R.N.C., criticized Harvard's response to the GOP investigation as “unacceptable.”
“Upon initial review, Harvard's submission to the Committee in response to its investigation into anti-Semitism is woefully inadequate,” Foxx said. “Rather than respond to the Committee's request in any substantive way, Harvard has chosen to provide letters from nonprofit organizations and student handbooks, many of which are already publicly available.”
HARVARD ANNOUNCES ANTI-SEMITISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA WORKING GROUPS AMID THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx criticized Harvard's response to its anti-Semitism investigation. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“This is unacceptable. Harvard must submit the remaining documents on time, or risk mandatory action,” he warned.
It follows former Harvard President Claudine Gay's testimony before Congress late last year, in which she did not definitively say that calls for genocide against Jewish students on campus constituted harassment.
As scrutiny and demands for his resignation from Republicans and pro-Israel groups increased, it was also revealed that Gay was found to have plagiarized dozens of previous academic works.
CRITICS Applaud Resignation of 'Anti-Semitic Plagiarist' HARVARD PRESIDENT CLAUDINE GAY
Claudine Gay resigned as president of Harvard University on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, following controversies that tarnished the reputation of America's oldest and most prestigious university.
Foxx sent a letter formally requesting school records earlier this month.
“As you know, the Committee on Education and the Workforce (the Committee) is investigating Harvard University's response to anti-Semitism and its failure to protect Jewish students. We have serious concerns regarding the inadequacy of Harvard's response to anti-Semitism on their campus. wrote the president.
“While Dr. Gay has since resigned, Harvard's institutional failures regarding anti-Semitism extend far beyond a single leader. There is evidence that anti-Semitism has been widespread at Harvard since long before the 9/7 terrorist attack. October 2023”.
WELCOME TO HARVARD, WHERE YOU CAN SPEND $317,800 TO LEARN ABOUT 'QUEERING THE WORLD,' THREE DATING APPS
The committee requested all documents and communications since January 2021 that reference anti-Semitism, including disciplinary records and meeting minutes of the Harvard Board of Overseers.
Harvard Yard on a winter afternoon during finals week on December 13, 2023 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
Harvard responded to Foxx's statement on Wednesday: “Harvard is committed to cooperating with the Committee's investigation and providing information, including the presentation made today, that addresses important issues raised by the Committee.”
“We denounce any form of anti-Semitism in the strongest possible terms and are committed to the safety and well-being of our students. We intend to continue to engage with the Committee in a dialogue to respond to their ongoing requests.”
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The December hearing that precipitated Gay's resignation also ousted University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, who gave similar responses to Gay when he broached the issue of genocidal calls on campus.
Meanwhile, a group of Jewish students sued Harvard earlier this month, accusing the university of having “become a bastion of unbridled anti-Jewish hatred.”
