Five Jewish Democratic senators sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, demanding answers on what they call his attempt to dismantle universities like Harvard “while hiding behind claims of tackling antisemitism as a guise.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is joined on the letter by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
The legislators point to Trump’s statements, including those attacking the ideologies of Harvard administrators and faculty, as “going far beyond constructive and necessary efforts to support Jewish students on campus during an unprecedented time of domestic antisemitism.” They called his effort to combat antisemitism “simply a means to an end” to bring educational institutions to heel, and ultimately pits “Jewish safety against other communities.”
The letter requests that Trump answer a series of questions, including explaining the administration’s thought process, outlining its reasons for selecting certain institutions for penalties and identifying specific incidents of antisemitism that it is countering, along with justifications for cuts to certain educational and research programs.
While the signatories to the letter claim that they have spoken out against campus antisemitism and have demanded accountability, a report for the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee claimed Schumer told Minouche Shafik, then-president of Columbia University, that Columbia’s “political problems are really only among Republicans.”
Schumer’s staff instructed Columbia administrators that the “best strategy is to keep heads down,” according to the committee report.
