Congressional subpoena hits Columbia University in antisemitism investigation

Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx issued six subpoenas to Columbia University’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong as well as the Co-Chairs and Vice Chairs of the University’s Board of Trustees as part of the ongoing investigation into antisemitism on its campus.

The subpoena request documentation on how administrators responded to and internally discussed pro-Hamas protests on its campus in the last year. Over the summer, Foxx released text messages obtained in its investigation that she said revealed “disparaging and dismissive attitudes Columbia’s administrators hold towards Jewish students.”

The subpoenas are the latest in the ongoing drama for Columbia University after pro-Hamas protests on campus in the last year culminated in a Congressional inquiry and resignation of the school’s president.

“Columbia should be a partner in our efforts to ensure Jewish students have a safe learning environment on its campus, but instead, university administrators have slow rolled the investigation, repeatedly failing to turn over necessary documents,” Foxx said in a cover letter for the subpoena. “The information we have obtained points to a continued pattern of negligence towards antisemitism and a refusal to stand up to the radical students and faculty responsible for it.

“The goal of this investigation has always been to protect Jewish students and faculty, and if compulsory measures are necessary to obtain the documents the Committee requires, so be it,” she added.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik announced her resignation last week, pointing to ongoing “turmoil” in the school.

“However, it has also been a period of turmoil where it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community,” Shafik said in a statement. “This period has taken a considerable toll on my family, as it has for others in our community.”

The “turmoil” in question began after the terrorist group Hamas launched a deadly attack against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, killing hundreds, including women, children and even babies.

Israel responded with an ongoing bombing campaign to kill Hamas members and leadership, which led to civilian casualties and mass migration of civilians within Gaza to safer areas.

Soon, pro-Hamas protests swept college campuses around the country, with many including vandalism and calls for violence against Jews.

As The Center Square previously reported, Jewish students felt unsafe and saw little help from administrators or the federal government.

Columbia’s protests and encampment, which included one Jewish student being attacked, were among the worst in the nation. Shafik’s testimony before Congress came across as irreverent and unconcerned, and ratcheted up the scrutiny of administrators’ response to antisemitism.

Now, Columbia faces more Congressional oversight.

“On April 26, following the establishment of the so-called Gaza Solidarity Encampment, which by Columbia’s own admission created a hostile environment in violation of Title VI, the Committee sent Columbia an updated set of priority requests,” Foxx’s letter said. “The Committee identified three categories of materials as its top priorities: communications from specified custodians; Board of Trustees meeting minutes, notes, and summaries; and information on disciplinary cases relating to the encampment or from the period since the establishment of the encampment…Despite the Committee’s numerous efforts to identify its priorities, Columbia has failed to satisfy these requests.”