Princeton prof accused of plagiarism

A Princeton University professor who accused former Milwaukee sheriff and conservative activist David Clarke of plagiarism has now been accused of plagiarism himself.

Kevin M. Kruse is a history professor, columnist at MSNBC, and contributor to the controversial “1619 Project.”

Investigative reporting by Phillip W. Magness at Reason Magazine first revealed the plagiarism, which occurred in Kruse’s dissertation and other writings, in June. 

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According to Magness’s investigation, Kruse lifted several passages nearly verbatim and without attribution in his 2000 Cornell dissertation. Cribbed passages also appeared in his subsequent books White Flight and One Nation Under God.

Prior to the publication of his Reason piece, Magness emailed Princeton University informing them of the plagiarism, the Washington Free Beacon reported. 

Princeton waited six months to reply to Magness, only recently signaling that it would begin looking into the allegations. 

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The story drew the attention of prominent politicians and commentators, such as Dinesh D’Souza and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX).

On June 17, Cruz tweeted “These are serious charges that merit a full investigation.”

These are serious charges that merit a full investigation.@KevinMKruse @DineshDSouza @PhilWMagness @Princeton https://t.co/8ekC6JNBZc

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 17, 2022

Magness concluded his Reason piece by stating, “[T]he passages from [the plagiarized authors] may portend more serious problems in the academy. In an age of declining academic rigor, certain works seem to get a pass—provided that they promote particular ideological narratives that enjoy a following among elite academics and journalists.”

Campus Reform reached out to Princeton University and Professor Kruse. This article will be updated accordingly.