Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email
Please enter a valid email address
Please enter a valid email address
SIGN UP
I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice
Thanks for signing up to the
Inside Washington email
{{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }}
Republican representative Elise Stefanik claimed credit for the resignation of Harvard University president Claudine Gay on Tuesday, after she quit in the wake of a string of plagiarism accusations and an antisemitism row on the campus of the exclusive Ivy League university.
“I will always deliver results,” Ms Stefanik said in a press statement. “The resignation of Harvard’s antisemitic plagiarist president is long overdue. Claudine Gay’s morally bankrupt answers to my questions made history as the most viewed Congressional testimony in the history of the US Congress.”
Ms Stefanik was part of the committee that questioned the presidents of top US universities, including Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) about campus antisemitism and free speech.
At the time, her grilling of the university leaders mostly centred on protest chants referencing the Palestinian “intifada” and the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which Ms Stefanik interpreted as a call for genocide against Jews.
In a series of heated questions, the New York congresswoman had asked whether students who uttered the phrase would qualify as violating the universities’ code of conduct on bullying and harassment.
RECOMMENDED
Jeffrey Epstein list: Unsealed documents name Trump, Clinton and Prince Andrew
Emma Watson clarifies what being ‘self-partnered’ means to her
If you have a mouse, play this game for 1 minute and see why everyone is addicted.Combat Siege | Sponsored Sponsored
Millionaire Laughs At Poor Family In Restaurant, Then Waitress Hands Him An Unbelievable Note On The Billinvesting.com | Sponsored Sponsored
“That type of hateful speech is personally abhorrent to me,” Ms Gay had said but later emphasised that disciplinary action would depend “on the context” and that students’ words need to cross over into “conduct targeted at an individual” to qualify as bullying and harassment.
Promoted stories
Pawn Star Pleads Guilty, Goodbye Pawn Stars :(HotPopToday Read More
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
The first Black president of Harvard, Ms Gay quit on Tuesday just six months and two days into the job. “It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president. This is not a decision I came to easily,” she said in a statement.
“Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words because I have looked forward to working with so many of you to advance the commitment to academic excellence that has propelled this great university across centuries.
“But, after consultation with members of the Corporation, it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.”
Meanwhile, appearing on Fox News, Ms Stefanik vowed to continue a congressional probe into colleges.
“I think the investigation is going to uncover much, much more,” she said. “These colleges get billions of taxpayer dollars.”
RECOMMENDED
Another Republican early exit narrows GOP House majority
Ederly couple refuse to move from mother-of-three’s reserved seats
Taylor Swift's No Makeup Photo Confirms What We Knew All AlongCelebrity HQ | Sponsored Sponsored
Luxembourg: Solar Panel Grants May Pay More Than Ever In 2023Solar Panel Grants | Search Ads | Sponsored Sponsored
She also took to X to celebrate Ms Gay’s resignation, and to criticise the university.
“TWO DOWN,” she wrote. “Harvard knows that this long overdue forced resignation of the antisemitic plagiarist president is just the beginning of what will be the greatest scandal of any college or university in history.”
More about Elise Stefanik Republican Harvard University MIT
Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
24Comments
1/ 1Republican Stefanik claims credit for Harvard president’s resignation
Republican Stefanik claims credit for Harvard president’s resignation
Elise Stefanik speaks during a hearing of the House Committee on Education on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, 5 December 2023 in Washington
AP
Telehealth Dave
Taylor Swift, 33, Takes Off Makeup, Leaves Us With No WordsTelehealth Dave| Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Eco Houses
Unsold Eco Houses (Take A Look)Eco Houses| Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
WomenTales.com
Nadia Comaneci Confirms the Rumors.WomenTales.com| Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Investructor
Rosamund Pike, 44, Shows Off Her Perfect Figure In A New PhotoInvestructor| Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
？ Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Subscribe
Already subscribed? Log in