Rep. Foxx says Harvard has 'absolutely failed' to comply with subpoena, handed over 'useless' documents
'I don’t know if it's arrogance, ineptness, or indifference that’s guiding Harvard. Regardless, its actions to date are shameful.'
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) blasted Harvard University on Tuesday afternoon as she says the institution failed to comply with a subpoena issued as her committee investigates anti-Semitism on the campus.
While a spokesperson for the House education committee told Campus Reform on Tuesday morning that Harvard has submitted documents related to its investigation, Foxx issued a statement hours later stating that Harvard didn’t properly comply with the subpoena.
”I don’t know if it;s arrogance, ineptness, or indifference that’s guiding Harvard. Regardless, its actions to date are shameful. Just last week Congress heard devastating and awful first-hand accounts of rampant antisemitism on college campuses – including at Harvard. Despite this, Harvard has absolutely failed to comply in good faith with the Committee’s subpoena for information about antisemitism on its campus,” Foxx said.
”Many of the 2,500 pages submitted to the Committee were duplicates of documents already submitted. Heavy redactions throughout the production made several documents useless. The Committee is weighing an appropriate response to Harvard’s malfeasance.”
Foxx tweeted one example of a page Harvard handed over, which was completely redacted.
Here’s a page from @Harvard’s latest production of documents to the Committee.
According to Harvard and its lawyers, this is what working in “good faith” with the Committee’s investigation looks like. pic.twitter.com/1sLnKQgF3A— House Committee on Education & the Workforce (@EdWorkforceCmte) March 5, 2024
A spokesperson for the university told the Harvard Crimson that it “continues to respond, in good faith” to the committee’s investigation.
“With an additional submission today, Harvard has provided nearly 4,900 pages of information in 11 submissions since January, including non-public information and internal communications, along with public information, the Committee requested Harvard to compile,” Newton said.
The committee initially gave Harvard a March 4 deadline to hand over the documents.
Harvard spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain previously told the Harvard Crimson that the subpoena is “unwarranted,” adding that it “remains committed to cooperating with the Committee.”
“Given the breadth and extensive nature of the information Harvard has provided to the Committee, it is unfortunate that the Committee has chosen to issue a subpoena,” Swain said. “Harvard has provided fulsome and good faith responses across ten (10) submissions totaling more than 3,500 pages that directly address key areas of inquiry put forward by the Committee.”
[RELATED: Harvard finally hands over docs in anti-Semitism investigation, may still face subpoena]
Initially, Foxx requested the following documents from Harvard, which include several additional items, as Campus Reform reported:
- ”All reports of antisemitic acts or incidents and related documents and communications since January 1, 2021, as well as all documents and communications related to specified incidents, including the harassment and assault of a Jewish MBA student on October 18, 2023;
- All documents and communications since January 1, 2021, referring and relating to antisemitism, involving the Harvard Corporation and Harvard Board of Overseers (including all fellows and members), as well as minutes of Harvard Corporation and Board of Overseers meetings;
- Documents sufficient to show the findings and results of any disciplinary processes, changes in academic status, or personnel actions by Harvard towards Harvard students, employees, and other Harvard affiliates related to conduct involving the targeting of Jews, Israelis, Israel, Zionists, or Zionism since January 1, 2021; and
- Documents sufficient to show any efforts by Harvard students, faculty, and staff to engage in the BDS movement against Israel since January 1, 2021, and communications by Harvard administrators relating to such efforts.”
