U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Harvard in Antisemitism Investigation, Reports Reuters

A U.S. House of Representatives committee announced on Friday that it is issuing a subpoena to Harvard University due to its failure to produce key documents related to an investigation into antisemitism. Harvard has described the subpoena as “unfortunate” and “unwarranted.”

Last month, Harvard was requested to submit various materials, including documents that detail the university’s responses to discrimination, reports of antisemitic incidents, and efforts regarding the recruitment and retention of Jewish students.

A spokesperson for Harvard noted that the university has made substantial and good faith efforts in its responses, submitting over 3,500 pages across ten submissions, with more than 2,500 pages specifically related to the antisemitism inquiry.

Tensions have risen at Harvard and other U.S. colleges following the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military operations in Gaza.

Representative Virginia Foxx, chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, expressed concerns that the quality of Harvard’s submissions was lacking, emphasizing that the committee is more focused on the substance rather than the volume of documents. She pointed out that over 1,000 of the documents provided were already publicly available and noted that Harvard had not adequately addressed two out of four priority requests in its latest response.

The subpoena requires Harvard to produce the specified documents by 5 p.m. ET on March 4. Despite contesting the necessity of the subpoena, Harvard has expressed its commitment to continued cooperation with the committee while also prioritizing the privacy and safety of its community.

Claudine Gay, who recently resigned as president of Harvard amid allegations of plagiarism and criticism over her congressional testimony regarding antisemitism, has left her position following these controversies.