New York Rep. Elise Stefanik said former Harvard president Claudine Gay's resignation was "long overdue."
Stefanik discussed Gay's resignation during a Sunday appearance on NBC News' Meet The Press with host Kristen Welker.
The New York representative said Gay's resignation was "long overdue" and noted the former Harvard president should have resigned immediately after her infamous December congressional hearing with Stefanik.
"This follows the resignation of Liz Magill, the Penn president, who also answered, almost verbatim, the same way that the Harvard former president did, as well. And so did the MIT president, I might add," Stefanik told Welker, noting she called for all three presidents’ resignations. "It’s not just me who called for the resignations. We passed a vote, bipartisan, who called for the resignation on the floor of Congress.”
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Welker asked Stefanik to comment on Gay’s early January insistence that her ousting was an attempt to "unravel public faith in pillars of American society."
“She failed to stand up for Jewish students on campus who have been facing antisemitic attacks, who have been facing physical assault," Stefanik said. "We’ve seen that footage. We’ve heard that directly from students on campus."
The New York representative said Harvard faculty had also expressed concern over Gay's tenure and lack of "academic integrity."
"But it really goes back to protecting Jewish students," Stefanik continued. "And, frankly, when it comes to Harvard, the only time that Harvard has pled for academic freedom or freedom of speech was when it comes to the genocide of the Jewish people."
Stefanik said it was "inherently unfit" for Gay to hold her position as Harvard president.
"It is part of a broader issue at these schools, which is why our investigation is so important," she said. "We’re going to look at DEI, which inherently has refused to bring up concerns from Jewish students of the rise of antisemitic attacks. We’re going to look at foreign funding as well as taxpayer funding and the governance of these universities."
"You saw that these boards doubled down to support these university professors despite the morally bankrupt testimony," Stefanik added.
Gay resigned as Harvard president last Tuesday after facing claims of antisemitic remarks and plagiarism marking the shortest presidency in the university's history.
“It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president,” she wrote in a letter to the school community posted to X by WBZ-TV Boston reporter Kristina Rex. “This is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words because I have looked forward to working with so many of you to advance the commitment of academic excellence that has propelled this great university across centuries.”
After consulting with members of the Corporation, Gay said it was “in the best interests of Harvard” for her to step down so the “community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.”
