Harvard University has come under fire amid revelations that it attempted to thwart the Post’s investigation into Claudine Gay’s alleged plagiarism and cleared her of such accusations before even conducting an investigation.
Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, which has been examining the Ivy League school, called the aggressive attempt to suppress the Post’s investigation “shameful.”
“Harvard has been terrified of losing donations and taxpayer funding since they were exposed for harboring anti-Semitism,” she told The Post.
“Claudine Gay claimed to support free speech and truthful research in her congressional testimony, but now the university threatens journalists and lies to protect its reputation and its more than $50 billion endowment.”
A law firm representing the elite university sent the Post a threatening legal letter in late October, calling Gay’s accusations of plagiarism from other academics “demonstrably false” and insisting that his work was “properly cited and credited.” ”.
He threatened to sue the Post for “immense” damages and insisted that the Post’s reporting “should not be published.”
Jim Banks called Harvard’s actions “shameful.” REUTERS
On December 12, Harvard had admitted that Gay had been investigated by the university’s highest governing body and was publishing corrections to two academic journals, to acknowledge where her work really came from.
The firestorm over Gay’s alleged plagiarism erupted shortly after her testy hearing before the House Education Committee earlier this month, in which she was evasive about whether anti-Semitic chants violated the campus code of conduct.
Post cover story about Claudine Gay. scale
“@Harvard tricked and threatened @nypost with litigation into removing an article alleging that President Gay had committed plagiarism. “This reflects very poorly on the Corporation board and anyone else in the Harvard administration who was behind this effort,” Harvard alumnus, hedge fund billionaire, and Gay critic Bill Ackman wrote in X.
“This is another Hunter-Biden laptop-like suppression of the NY Post, and further evidence of Harvard’s rejection of speech that does not fit the favored and dominant narrative.”
.@Harvard deceived and threatened @nypost with litigation to get him to remove an article alleging that President Gay had committed plagiarism.
This reflects very poorly on the Corporation’s board of directors and any other members of the Harvard administration who were behind this effort.
This…
-Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) December 22, 2023
Harvard turned to Clare Locke, a law firm that previously worked for the Sackler family, Russian oligarchs and Matt Lauer, to send the fiery letter raising legal action after The Post requested comment in October on allegations that Gay had plagiarized parts of three published works.
“Harvard hired Thomas Clare, a lawyer whose firm attacks journalists with frivolous defamation boasts on behalf of deep-pocketed clients. This looks worse for Harvard and Gay,” ProPublica senior editor Josh Eisinger wrote in X.
Wow, try to intimidate @isareport & @nypost Harvard hired Thomas Clare, a lawyer whose firm attacks journalists with frivolous defamation boasts on behalf of deep-pocketed clients.
This looks worse for Harvard & Gay.https://t.co/NStUXROSSH
-Jesse Eisinger (@eisingerj) December 13, 2023
“[The Post’s] The long story has more damning details that seem to me to bring the scandal into the realm of Rathergate and beyond satire. “Rather was behind his fraudulent story for 12 days before CBS News higher-ups forced him to retreat (with his fingers crossed behind his back),” conservative author Scott Johnson wrote on the Powerline blog.
National Review’s George Leef criticized Harvard’s use of Clare Locke, calling it “an unsavory effort to suppress research into her plagiarism.”
“It’s easy to see where students get the idea that the way to deal with people and ideas they don’t like is to resort to threats and ‘cancellation,’” he said.
Harvard lawyers told the New York Post that Claudine Gay’s plagiarized passages were “not plagiarism” before launching any investigation. Lawyers then forced the Post to remain silent, saying the newspaper “should not move forward with the proposed article.” This is corruption. pic.twitter.com/ENcDhL89Fp
– Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 22, 2023
Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute who helped expose the alleged plagiarism, called Harvard’s suppression effort “corruption.”
“Between this and the Hunter laptop story before the election, are you beginning to understand why ‘smart and important’ people feel such a need to denigrate the Post and praise the Times?” X user Marty Guthrie wrote.
Between this and the Hunter laptop story before the election, are you beginning to understand why “smart and important” people feel such a need to denigrate the Post and elevate the Times? Plagiarism: Harvard acquitted Claudine Gay… https://t. co/MwHN8jKHyQ
-Marty (@martyguthrie) December 23, 2023
The Post sought comment from Harvard on October 24, noting 27 possible cases of plagiarism by homosexuals between 1993 and 2017.
Initially, Jonathan Swain, senior director of communications at Harvard and a longtime Democratic aide, asked for additional time. However, days later, Clare Locke sent the threatening letter to The Post.
Shortly afterward, Gay called for an investigation, and the school consulted outside experts to review its work.
The embattled Claudine Gay has said little publicly about the plagiarism accusations swirling around her. REUTERS
Harvard subsequently sent a follow-up on Nov. 7, while the university’s external investigation was underway, reiterating that the allegations were “false.”
The letter did not disclose the existence of the investigation.
Five days after Gay’s controversial testimony before the Education Committee, Rufo released the file of plagiarism accusations that revolve around Gay. He did so while The Post was still investigating the matter.
Some students on campus were not enthusiastic about Claudine Gay’s testimony before Congress. David McGlynn Elise Stefanik’s interrogation of Claudine Gay and others finally caused a storm among the presidents of the institutions. REUTERS
The Washington Free Beacon then published a story, highlighting additional incidents of possible plagiarism.
“I stand behind the integrity of my scholarship. Throughout my career, I have worked to ensure that my scholarship meets the highest academic standards,” Gay told The Boston Globe in response.
Gay survived a chorus of calls for his resignation over his congressional testimony. Former University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, who testified alongside Gay, ultimately resigned following similar outrage over her testimony.
Harvard University is generally one of the highest-ranked graduate institutions in the country. David McGlynn
The Education Committee has since opened an investigation into anti-Semitism on college campuses.
The Post contacted Harvard for comment on Sunday.
Gay became Harvard’s 30th president in July.
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