Gay says she 'made mistakes' but denies responsibility in plagiarism scandal

Former Harvard University President Claudine Gay said that has “made mistakes” but stands by her work following revelations that she allegedly plagiarized earlier in her career.

Gay made the comments on Wednesday in an op-ed for the New York Times, which she wrote just one day after resigning from Harvard.

”On Tuesday, I made the wrenching but necessary decision to resign as Harvard’s president,” Gay wrote. “For weeks, both I and the institution to which I’ve devoted my professional life have been under attack. My character and intelligence have been impugned.”

Gay resigned following fierce scrutiny over allegations of plagiarism and her comments during a congressional hearing on anti-Semitism in December.

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During the early December congressional hearing, Gay failed to give a definitive answer when asked by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., if calls for the genocide of Jews would violate Harvard’s policy on bullying and harassment.

”It can be, depending on the context,” Gay responded.

In her New York Times op-ed, Gay said “Yes, I made mistakes.”

”In my initial response to the atrocities of Oct. 7, I should have stated more forcefully what all people of good conscience know: Hamas is a terrorist organization that seeks to eradicate the Jewish state,” Gay said. “And at a congressional hearing last month, I fell into a well-laid trap. I neglected to clearly articulate that calls for the genocide of Jewish people are abhorrent and unacceptable and that I would use every tool at my disposal to protect students from that kind of hate.”

Following the congressional hearing, plagiarism allegations surfaced, intensifying the scrutiny Gay was under.

Gay attempted to diminish those allegations of plagiarism, explaining them as “citation errors.”

”I have never misrepresented my research findings, nor have I ever claimed credit for the research of others. Moreover, the citation errors should not obscure a fundamental truth: I proudly stand by my work and its impact on the field,” she wrote.

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”Most recently, the attacks have focused on my scholarship. My critics found instances in my academic writings where some material duplicated other scholars’ language, without proper attribution. I believe all scholars deserve full and appropriate credit for their work,” Gay added. “When I learned of these errors, I promptly requested corrections from the journals in which the flagged articles were published, consistent with how I have seen similar faculty cases handled at Harvard.”

Gay also accused critics of pushing a racially-driven campaign to oust her from Harvard’s highest job.

Never did I imagine needing to defend decades-old and broadly respected research, but the past several weeks have laid waste to truth. Those who had relentlessly campaigned to oust me since the fall often trafficked in lies and ad hominem insults, not reasoned argument. They recycled tired racial stereotypes about Black talent and temperament. They pushed a false narrative of indifference and incompetence,” she wrote.

While Gay won’t serve as president of the university, she will return to Harvard’s faculty and likely earn a salary of over $800,000, according to the New York Post.