The Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce Committee announced subpoenas against Harvard University on Friday in its recently expanded antisemitism on college campuses probe.
The committee, chaired by GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, opened an investigation into Harvard and other universities on Dec. 7 following a hearing on antisemitism at their respective institutions. Foxx subpoenaed Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny Pritzker, interim President Alan Garber and Harvard Management Company CEO Narv Narvekar for failing to produce sufficient documents in its probe, according to a press release. (RELATED: House Committee Expands Antisemitism Investigation Into Elite Schools To Include Another Top University)
“I am extremely disappointed in the path that Harvard has chosen to take in the Committee’s investigation,” Foxx said in a statement. “Over the course of this investigation, Harvard has touted its willingness to work with the Committee, citing the thousands of pages of documents it has produced. But, of the 2,516 pages of documents Harvard has produced in response to the Committee’s antisemitism inquiry to date, at least 1,032 — over 40 percent — were already publicly available. Quality — not quantity — is the Committee’s concern.”
“Last week, I made it very clear to Harvard that the documents it had produced up to that point were severely insufficient. I warned that a subpoena would be warranted if the university continued to miss the mark, giving it ample opportunity to correct course before compulsory measures were taken. Unfortunately, Harvard did not heed the Committee’s warning and once again failed to satisfy the Committee’s requests,” Foxx added.
Harvard did not produce sufficient documents in two out of four of the committee’s “priority requests” in its most recent response, according to Foxx. The university’s responses to the other two requests “contain notable deficiencies, including apparent omissions and questionable redactions.”
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 05: Dr. Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University, testifies before the House Education and Workforce Committee at the Rayburn House Office Building during a hearing to investigate antisemitism on college campuses. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Foxx sent a letter on Jan. 9 to Pritzker and Garber requesting documents regarding the university’s response to antisemitism on its campus. Harvard initially produced 24 documents that were comprised largely of information already publicly available, including letters and handbooks, according to the committee, which Foxx said was “woefully inadequate.”
The chairwoman warned Harvard on Feb. 7 of the committee’s intent to subpoena the university if it did not provide sufficient responses to its “priority requests” by Wednesday. Foxx then issued the subpoenas on Thursday, asking Harvard to produce information related to “11 key areas of documentation that are intended to uncover what actions Harvard is undertaking or has undertaken to ensure Harvard Jewish students feel safe and welcome on campus.”
The subpoenas request “all reports of antisemitic acts or incidents and related documents and communications since January 1, 2021.”
During the Dec. 5 hearing, which followed the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, then Harvard President Claudine Gay and other Ivy League executives failed to say whether antisemitic chants violated their codes of conduct. After widespread pressure to step down, Gay resigned on Jan. 2, citing “racial animus” and offering no apology.
Harvard did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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