President Barack Obama has reportedly come to the defense of embattled Harvard President Claudine Gay amidst significant controversy.
After her contentious testimony about antisemitism and Jewish student safety at Harvard, a confidential source told Jewish Insider that Obama, himself a Harvard graduate, has been privately pushing for support for Gay to maintain the stability of Harvard’s leadership.
“It sounded like people were being asked to close ranks to keep the broader administration stable—including its composition,” the source told Jewish Insider of Obama’s involvement.
Gay found herself in hot water in December during her appearance before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. She was asked if advocating for Jewish genocide on campus would violate the university’s codes of conduct on bullying and harassment.
Her reply, that such actions would require a response from the school based on the “context,” ignited widespread criticism on social media and prompted a reaction from the White House.
In the wake of the backlash, Gay issued an apology. Despite calls for her resignation, the Harvard Corporation, the university’s highest governing body, released a statement on December 12th, affirming their support for her.
This decision held firm even as Gay faced over 40 allegations of plagiarism in her academic work, which ranged “from missing quotation marks around a few phrases or sentences to entire paragraphs lifted verbatim.”
Harvard’s further review led to an admission that Gay’s 1997 Ph.D. dissertation contained two additional instances of “duplicative language without appropriate attribution.”
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In light of these developments, House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx sent a letter to Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny Pritzker.
She demanded more information about the university’s handling of the plagiarism allegations against Gay and raised concerns about “the unequal application of Harvard’s Honor Code.”
Penny Pritzker, a former official in the Obama administration, billionaire and a substantial donor to Harvard to the tune of $100 million last month alone, was under particular scrutiny.
Pritzker was the head of the search committee that picked Gay for president last December, calling her a “remarkable leader who is profoundly devoted to sustaining and enhancing Harvard’s academic excellence.”
Before aligning with the December 12th statement in support of Gay, Pritzker avoided questions from reporters about whether she believed Gay should step down. Despite this, Gay claimed to have Pritzker’s “full support.”
A Harvard source close to the issue told Jewish Insider, “What I hear is [Pritzker] has no intention of going down with the ship,” indicating potential doubts within Harvard’s ranks.
The exact details of any discussions between Obama and Pritzker during the deliberations on Gay’s future at Harvard remain unclear. Neither Pritzker’s office nor Obama’s press contacts returned requests from Fox News for comment, adding to the intrigue of the situation.
Apparently it is fine to lead one of the most prestigious universities in America even though there is proof of plagiarize and supporting antisemitism as long as you have the right people behind you. Birds of a feather…
