House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik on Friday dismissed comments made by a Harvard University professor who suggested the Ivy League school does not need to cooperate with a congressional investigation, doubling the authority of the House Republicans. lawmakers to investigate the institution that is “funded by billions of dollars.” taxpayer dollars.”
The House Education and Workforce Committee has launched an investigation into allegations of rampant anti-Semitism on Harvard’s campus and academic dishonesty by the school’s president, Claudine Gay.
Randall Kennedy, a Harvard law professor, told the New York Times on Friday that his support for Gay is “unwavering” despite dozens of cases of alleged plagiarism by Gay uncovered by The Post, including parts of his 1997 doctoral thesis. .
Kennedy, 69, also suggested that Harvard’s leadership could refuse to cooperate with the congressional investigation if it determines that lawmakers’ investigations are “bad faith efforts to harass, embarrass and intimidate.”
Stefanik, 39, told the Post that Kennedy’s argument doesn’t hold water given the “billions of taxpayer dollars” that fund the elite school.
“It is not up to Harvard professors or its board of directors to determine where Congress’ attention should be focused or whether or not to comply with the LAW,” the New York Republican said in a statement. “Congress and the Committee on Education and the Workforce have clear legal authority to investigate Harvard’s conduct regarding its handling of anti-Semitism on campus and how the University handles discipline against its students and faculty for plagiarism and other violations of the law. University code.
“Harvard is funded by billions of taxpayer dollars. That funding is a privilege and not a right, and Congress has every prerogative to investigate Harvard and its top officials to determine whether it is worthy of such support, whether it is meeting its responsibilities under federal civil rights laws, and whether it is behaving consistently. with his accreditation,” he continued.
“I strongly support the president [Virginia] “Harvard University is required by law to cooperate fully and I ask them to immediately clarify that they will do so.”
Stefanik noted Friday that Harvard receives “billions of dollars” in taxpayer money. Getty Images Congress is investigating anti-Semitism on Harvard’s campus and plagiarism accusations against President Claudine Gay. David McGlynn
By Harvard’s own admission, the school received about $1.94 billion in federal funding over the past three years ($625 million in 2021, $642 million in 2022, and $676 million in 2023), according to the latest three reports. public finances of the institution.
The House Education and Workforce Committee he said in a tweet on Friday that it has a “constitutional duty to ensure that institutions of higher education comply with the law and do not use the billions of taxpayer dollars they receive to create hotbeds of hate.”
The committee warned that Kennedy’s comments to the New York Times amounted to suggesting that Harvard should obstruct the congressional panel’s investigation, a move that could result in “criminal referrals.”
“Harvard would be making a terrible mistake by turning its back on accountability on the advice of Randall Kennedy or anyone else,” the committee’s tweet said. “Harvard leadership must understand that obstruction of a congressional investigation can result in contempt of congressional procedures and even criminal referrals.”
The anti-Semitism investigation at Harvard was launched after Gay was brought before the committee on December 5 to testify about the treatment of Jewish students on Harvard’s campus, during which Stefanik pressed her on whether to call for the genocide of Jews. violated the university’s codes of conduct. behaviors related to bullying and harassment.
Gay said allowing speech would depend on “context,” refusing to give a yes or no answer and adding that the words could only justify action if they rose to the level of intimidation, harassment and intimidation.
Gay, on Dec. 5, did not say whether calling for the genocide of Jews violated the university’s codes of conduct. David McGlynn
House Republicans are also investigating the school’s handling of “credible allegations of plagiarism” against Gay and the university’s efforts to suppress the Post’s inquiries about his scholarship.
House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Foxx (R-NC) wrote a letter Wednesday to Penny Pritzker, a senior fellow at the Harvard Corporation, demanding internal documents and communications about the scandal.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn