Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) issued the following statement in response to Harvard’s unsatisfactory production of documents after being subpoenaed by the Committee for more information into its response to antisemitism on its campus:
 
“I don’t know if its arrogance, ineptness, or indifference that’s guiding Harvard. Regardless, its actions to date are shameful. Just last week Congress heard devastating and awful first-hand accounts of rampant antisemitism on college campuses – including at Harvard. Despite this, Harvard has absolutely failed to comply in good faith with the Committee’s subpoena for information about antisemitism on its campus. Many of the 2,500 pages submitted to the Committee were duplicates of documents already submitted. Heavy redactions throughout the production made several documents useless. The Committee is weighing an appropriate response to Harvard’s malfeasance.”

(Heavily redacted page from Harvard’s March 4 production)

 
Timeline of the Committee’s communication with Harvard:
 
December 20, 2023: The Committee informed Harvard of its intent to move forward with an investigation of antisemitic incidents at the school. For Harvard’s benefit, this communication included an extensive list of documents that the Committee intended to request.
 
January 9, 2024: Chairwoman Foxx sent a letter to Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny Pritzker and Interim President Dr. Alan Garber requesting documents and information regarding Harvard University’s response to antisemitism on its campus and its failure to protect Jewish students, faculty, and staff.
 
January 23, 2024: Chairwoman Foxx issued a statement calling Harvard’s initial production of documents related to the Committee’s antisemitism investigation “woefully inadequate.” Harvard produced 24 documents to the Committee totaling 1032 pages—including letters from nonprofits and copies of student handbooks—all of which were already publicly available. Some of the documents sent to the Committee included inexplicable redactions of information that were included in the public versions.
 
February 7, 2024: Chairwoman Foxx sent a final warning to Pritzker and Garber reaffirming her intent to issue a subpoena if Harvard did not provide priority documents by Wednesday, February 14, 2024, at 5:00PM.
 
February 16, 2024: Chairwoman Foxx sent subpoenas requiring Harvard to produce 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.

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