Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) sent a letter to Harvard University on Thursday criticizing the institution for allowing an alleged antisemitic attacker to graduate in May.
The letter comes on the heels of a rocky several months for the elite university, which has been hit by accusations of protecting antisemitism and not enforcing campus bylaws by taking disciplinary action against pro-Palestinian students.
“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 said in the letter to Harvard interim president Alan Garber and senior fellow Penny Pritzker.
The New York Republican and Harvard alumna is referring to an incident from Oct. 18, shortly after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, during which members of the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee allegedly surrounded and physically assaulted an Israeli Harvard Business School student who was recording a “die-in” protest.
One of the alleged attackers is set to graduate in May, and a letter from the alleged victim’s lawyers states that court date negotiations have been delayed — meaning one of the alleged assailants could graduate with a degree from Harvard before being held legally accountable.
“The lack of any tangible developments in this investigation is unacceptable as [redacted name] rapidly approaches graduation,” the letter from the alleged victim’s attorneys at Holtzman Vogel stated. “The protracted delay all but ensures that at least one of the offending individuals will have the privilege of graduating from Harvard without facing any serious academic or professional consequences for his actions.”
“The message of Harvard University is loud and clear: Harvard students can harass and assault a Jewish individual on camera with impunity, advertise the attack on social media, and still receive a Harvard degree, scot-free,” the letter continued.
Stefanik was told by since-ousted Harvard president Claudine Gay that “disciplinary processes are underway” when Gay testified before Congress in the now-infamous hearing that contributed to her resignation. But Stefanik said that the school has “produced no evidence of punishment against those who have committed crimes and violated Harvard’s code of conduct.”
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“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,” Stefanik stated. “At a time when support and applications for Harvard have fallen, university leadership has continuously chosen to side with those who hate Jewish students and faculty and failed to keep them safe.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Harvard for comment.
