House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., blasted Harvard University for "cultural rot" over its lack of meting out discipline to two students who allegedly assaulted and harassed an Israel student months ago.
In a letter dated Thursday, Stefanik expressed her "outrage" that one of the alleged attackers — a divinity student — who took part in the antisemitic incident in October is set to graduate in May despite a university internal review of the incident in January, which was recorded by multiple cellphones "at several different angles," lawyers for the victim said in their own letter March 22.
"Your actions continued to disgrace this institution and threaten the safety of the students you claim to serve," Stefanik wrote.
The Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee held a "die-in" at Harvard Business School on Oct. 18, days after Hamas terrorists slaughtered more than 1,200 Israelis. An Israeli business student who was recording the event was allegedly surrounded, repeatedly grabbed, and shouted at by the mob.
A law firm hired by Harvard spoke with the victim and his attorneys in January "and received relevant video evidence of the incident," Stefanik wrote.
The victim's lawyers learned last month that the criminal case was postponed to May 7, allowing one of the alleged assailants to "gain the lifelong distinction of being an alumnus of Harvard despite having committed a well-documented antisemitic hate crime," she wrote.
"Justice for this incident should have been served quickly and the delay of justice that specifically allows an antisemitic student to graduate is an affront to accountability and demonstrates the cultural rot of Harvard University's leadership that has allowed antisemitism to continue," Stefanik added.
It was Stefanik's line of questioning during a hearing in December that ultimately led to the resignation of Claudine Gay as Harvard president. In the letter, Stefanik cited Gay's assertion that "disciplinary processes are underway" against perpetrators of antisemitism.
"This has proven to be false," Stefanik wrote.
"This recent case of Harvard protecting those who hate Jews is disgusting," Stefanik wrote. "As an alumna of Harvard University, allowing this student to gain the title of Harvard graduate disgraces all who have come before him and erodes the distinction of a once sought after degree."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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