House panel asks Harvard for documents in antisemitism probe
- House wants documents from Harvard about antisemitism on campus
- Investigation comes after hearing, president's resignation
- Panel: "Grave concerns" about university's response to antisemitism
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(NewsNation) — The House Education and Workforce Committee is demanding information from Harvard about its response to antisemitism on campus as part of its inquiry into the Ivy League university.
In the letter, the panel led by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said it has “grave concerns regarding the inadequacy of Harvard’s response to the antisemitism on its campus.”
The letter goes on to request reports of antisemitism dating back to 2021, disciplinary records against faculty and students related to antisemitism, information about Jewish student enrollment trends and foreign donations.
Last month, the committee said it would investigate Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology following a congressional hearing about increased antisemitism on campus following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. The presidents of the three schools faced blowback after their testimony over what critics deemed inadequate answers.
Former Harvard President Claudine Gay, who also faced plagiarism accusations, and former UPenn President Liz McGill both resigned in the weeks after the hearing.
Still, the committee has concerns about how Harvard handles incidents of antisemitism.
“While Dr. Gay has since resigned, Harvard’s institutional failures regarding antisemitism extend well beyond one leader,” the letter states. “There is evidence antisemitism has been pervasive at Harvard since well before the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack.”
May Mailman, a former Trump administration lawyer and Harvard alum, said Tuesday on “The Hill on NewsNation” it seems Harvard’s diversity initiatives have resulted in Jewish people failing to be protected.
“I think those are good questions to ask: ‘How have you failed to protect people based on their status?'” Mailman said.
Former congressman and Trump administration official Mick Mulvaney, also a Harvard alum, said board members’ lives are about to get “a lot more difficult.”
“If you’re a member of the Harvard Corporation, welcome to Washington, D.C.,” he said. “You’re going to be hauled in front of at least one, maybe a dozen committees before this is over.”
The House committee is giving Harvard until Jan. 23 to produce the requested documents.
