House GOP Conference chair Elise Stefanik clapped back Friday against a Harvard University professor who said the school shouldn’t participate in Congress’ investigation over its handling of school president Claudine Gay’s alleged plagiarism.
Speaking with The New York Times on Thursday, Harvard legal scholar Randall Kennedy said his support for Gay remains “unmoved” and slammed her critics as “professional vilifiers.”
“He also suggested that Harvard leadership might decline to cooperate further with a congressional investigation into the university, distinguishing between ‘bona fide inquiries’ and ‘bad faith efforts to harass, embarrass and intimidate,’” according to the Times.
While some Harvard professors are speaking out against Gay, others remain supportive. Here is Randall Kennedy, a law professor, suggesting that Harvard defy a Congressional probe. https://t.co/8nZaqygase pic.twitter.com/Zs8xlqk1Ka
— Aaron Sibarium (@aaronsibarium) December 22, 2023
Responding a day later via the New York Post, Stefanik said Kennedy’s “argument” holds little merit given that Harvard is funded by the government.
“It is not up to Harvard professors or its board to determine where Congress’ attention should be focused or whether or not to comply with the LAW,” she said. “Congress and the Committee on Education and the Workforce have the clear legal authority to make inquiry into the conduct of Harvard in relation to its handling of antisemitism on campus and how the University handles discipline against its students and faculty for plagiarism and other violations of the University’s code.”
“Harvard is funded with billions of taxpayer dollars. That funding is a privilege and not a right, and Congress has every prerogative to make inquiry of Harvard and its senior officials as to whether it is worthy of that support, meeting its responsibilities under federal civil rights laws, and conducting itself in a manner consistent with its accreditation,” she added.
In concluding her remarks, she said, “I strongly support [House Education Committee chair Virginia] Foxx’s investigation and it is required by law that Harvard University will cooperate fully and I call on them to immediately clarify that they will do so.”
The House Education Committee also clapped back, albeit in a tweet:
It is clear that too many, particularly on elite campuses like Harvard, believe Jewish Americans do not deserve the same protections as everyone else.
Congress has a constitutional duty to ensure higher education institutions follow the law and do not use the billions in…
— House Committee on Education & the Workforce (@EdWorkforceCmte) December 22, 2023
“It is clear that too many, particularly on elite campuses like Harvard, believe Jewish Americans do not deserve the same protections as everyone else. Congress has a constitutional duty to ensure higher education institutions follow the law and do not use the billions in taxpayer dollars they receive to create hotbeds of hatred,” the tweet from the committee reads.
“In addition, academic integrity is sacrosanct to the mission and accreditation of higher education. Congress must ensure schools are meeting their accreditation standards as mandated by the Higher Education Act. This Committee must investigate compliance with legislation in its jurisdiction to learn if changes in statute and appropriations are necessary to correct illegal discrimination against Jewish students and any lowering of academic integrity or standards,” it continues.
“Harvard would be making a terrible mistake by turning its back on accountability at the advice of Randall Kennedy or anyone else. Harvard’s leadership must understand that obstruction of a congressional investigation can result in contempt of Congress proceedings and even criminal referrals,” it concludes.
The Post notes that Harvard has thus far received a whopping $1.94 billion in federal aid over the last three years.
As previously reported, Congress launched an investigation into Harvard after Gay testified that allowing students to call for the genocide of Jews would depend on so-called “context.”
Her remarks prompted a furor that resulted in sleuths discovering that much of her academic work allegedly contained plagiarized content from others.
One of the women who said she was plagiarized by her, retired Vanderbilt University professor of political science Dr. Carol M. Swain, a conservative black woman, called for Gay to be fired earlier this week.
Retired prof plagiarized by Claudine Gay says she must be fired, lays out 7-point plan for Harvard to redeem credibility https://t.co/YQ5bhGiMqE via @BIZPACReview
— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) December 22, 2023
Yet despite Gay’s reported plagiarism and her remarks on antisemitism, Harvard officials refuse to fire her and have instead stuck by her side and — much like Kennedy — smeared her critics.
All this also comes as Congress is ramping up its investigation into the school. On Wednesday, Foxx reportedly wrote to a top Harvard official demanding more information on the school’s handling of the matter.
In her letter, she specifically requested copies of “all documents and communications concerning the initial allegations of plagiarism and the ‘independent review’ of President Claudine Gay’s scholarship,” in addition to “all documents and communications concerning allegations of plagiarism by President Gay and the University’s public response to media inquiries about those allegations.”
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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