The House Education and Workforce Committee has issued a stern warning to Harvard University, threatening potential retaliatory measures in response to what it perceives as the Ivy League institution's inadequate response to its antisemitism investigation.
The Committee's Chairwoman, Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina, expressed her dissatisfaction with Harvard's response to the House GOP probe, branding it as "unacceptable."
"Upon initial review, Harvards production to the Committee in response to its antisemitism investigation is woefully inadequate," Foxx stated. She criticized the university for providing letters from nonprofits and student handbooks, many of which are already publicly accessible, instead of a substantive response to the Committees request.
"This is unacceptable. Harvard must produce the remaining documents in a timely manner, or risk compulsory measures," she cautioned.
This development is part of the ongoing fallout from the testimony of former Harvard President Claudine Gay before Congress late last year. During her testimony, Gay failed to categorically state that calls for genocide against Jewish students on campus constituted harassment.
The controversy surrounding Gay's testimony, coupled with revelations that she had plagiarized numerous past academic works, led to increased scrutiny and calls for her resignation from Republicans and pro-Israel groups.
Earlier this month, Foxx formally requested records from Harvard. In her letter, she expressed the Committee's grave concerns regarding Harvards inadequate response to antisemitism and its failure to protect Jewish students.
"While Dr. Gay has since resigned, Harvards institutional failures regarding antisemitism extend well beyond one leader. There is evidence antisemitism has been pervasive at Harvard since well before the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack," Foxx wrote.
The Committee has requested all documents and communications dating back to January 2021 that reference antisemitism, including disciplinary records and Harvard Board of Overseers meeting minutes.
In response to Foxx's statement on Wednesday, Harvard said, "Harvard is committed to cooperating with the Committees inquiry and providing information, including the submission made today, which addresses important questions raised by the Committee."
"We denounce any form of antisemitism 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."
The December hearing that led to Gays resignation also resulted in the departure of University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, who gave similar answers to Gay regarding the issue of genocidal calls on campus.
In a related development, a group of Jewish students filed a lawsuit against Harvard earlier this month, accusing the university of becoming "a bastion of rampant anti-Jewish hatred."
Login