Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, told Newsmax on Monday he recently asked Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser to tell Congress why the city hasn't responded to a request by George Washington University (GW) to remove an anti-Israel tent encampment from its campus.
Bowser, a Democrat, and D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith are set to testify at a public hearing Wednesday in front of the committee, which has legislative authority over the District of Columbia. The tent encampment is part of several protests regarding Israel's war against Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip that have rocked college campuses nationwide, leading to thousands of arrests.
GW President Ellen Granberg said in a statement Sunday the protest, now in its 12th day, "has grown into what can only be classified as an illegal and potentially dangerous occupation of GW property." She said, "it is clear that this is no longer a GW student demonstration" and that it has been "co-opted by individuals who are largely unaffiliated with our community and do not have our community's best interest in mind."
Comer told "The Record With Great Van Susteren" that Bowser didn't indicate whether she would testify. He said he expects her to testify but told her if she didn't, the committee would be compelled to subpoena her.
"This is a huge issue," Comer said. "We've heard from the president of George Washington University. They want those encampments removed and thus far, the mayor and the police chief refuse to do so."
Comer said he wasn't satisfied with the reason Bowser gave him for not assisting the university, but he did not provide details.
"I'll let the mayor speak for herself, but the reasoning they gave me wasn't satisfactory with me, and I told the mayor, she's just going to have to explain her position to America because a lot of people in America are pretty sick to their stomach at what's going on with these protests," he said. "It's OK to protest, but these protesters are trespassing, No. 1, and No. 2, they are intimidating Jewish students.
"There is no question about that. We've heard from Jewish families all over America that have called because they know our committee is taking the lead on this, and they want us to do something because their student, their children, do not feel safe on some of these campuses, including George Washington University."
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Smith said Thursday that D.C. police were not intervening because there had been "no violent behavior, no confrontations. We allow people the opportunity to have freedom of speech, and that's what we're seeing right now."
But in her statement Sunday, Granberg said "as a university, we are not equipped to single-handedly manage an unprecedented situation such as this."
Newsmax reached out to Bowser and Smith for comment.
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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