A week ago, before former Harvard president Claudine Gay's resignation, Dr. Carol M. Swain, from whom Gay plagiarized multiple times, gave Harvard some free advice: "Stop listening to the racist mob of whites and blacks who cry racism while being among the worst offenders." Remember that Swain is a black woman herself, though no one's rushing to defend her.

But the usual suspects have all come out to defend Gay: Nikole Hannah-Jones, Marc Lamont Hill, Mara Gay, Ibram X. Kendi, and Rep. Jamaal Bowman have all come forward to make it clear this is about toppling a powerful black woman. Why do they all think an academic fraud should be leading Harvard and that plagiarism is no big deal?

The Atlantic's Jemele Hill joins them and reports that it was never proven that Gay plagiarized. 

Harvard investigated itself and found itself not guilty.

What a hill to die on (no pun intended). The lengths they've gone to to defend Gay are astounding. She never should have resigned if the plagiarism charges were false. She should have fought back.