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FIRST ON FOX – Home Republican Convention Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., accused Columbia College President Dr. Nemat “Minouche” Shafik of making an attempt to “cover-up” for a “pro-terrorist” professor who had celebrated the Oct. 7 assaults, throughout her congressional testimony this week.
“A reminder to President Shafik that knowingly deceptive Congress is a felony,” Stefanik warned in a press release shared first with Fox Information Digital. “Regardless of Columbia President Shafik’s testimony, there was NO motion to fireside or self-discipline pro-terrorist and antisemitic college chair Professor Joseph Massad.”
“Columbia has tried to cowl up for Shafik’s lies updating their web site to indicate Massad as ‘outgoing chair’ however refuse to right away take away him regardless of Shafik committing to on the listening to,” Stefanik continued. “In the meantime, Massad claims nobody from the College has even spoken to him about his hateful statements or any investigation.”
“Shafik’s false testimony and refusal to handle the severity of the rampant antisemitism on her campus is an affront to the Jewish college students and college at Columbia underneath her failed management,” she stated.
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Stefanik and different Home Republicans hammered Shafik throughout Wednesday’s Home Training and the Workforce Committee listening to to debate pervasive antisemitism on the Ivy League college, demanding to know what penalties, if any, Professor Joseph Massad confronted after writing an article praising the Oct. 7 assaults in southern Israel by Hamas militants as “superior,” “astonishing,” “astounding” and “unimaginable.”
Republican Convention Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., questions Columbia College president Nemat Shafik on the Home Committee on Training and the Workforce listening to in Washington, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photograph/Mariam Zuhaib)
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., asserted that Massad’s piece glorified Hamas’ slaughter of almost 1,200 Jews.
Requested whether or not Massad confronted any disciplinary motion, Shafik testified that the professor had been “spoken to” by the pinnacle of his division of Center Japanese, South Asian and African Research and his dean. Although the college president stated she was had not been part of these discussions, Shafik stated to Congress that Massad was instructed that the language he utilized in his article “was unacceptable.”
However Massad’s statements to CNN after the congressional listening to contradicted Shafik’s testimony.
“I used to be proven solidarity by my chair and deans primarily based on the demise threats that I acquired and the marketing campaign focusing on me,” he reportedly instructed CNN Thursday concerning prior talks.
Columbia College President Nemat Shafik testifies earlier than the Home Committee on Training and the Workforce, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photograph/Jose Luis Magana)
“Nobody has contacted me in any respect from the college as regards to my present chairmanship,” he added, saying that the truth that he was underneath investigation by the college was “information” he discovered via the listening to.
Fox Information Digital reached out to Columbia College for remark Friday however didn’t instantly hear again.
Shafik initially testified that Massad was not chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Tutorial Overview Committee and that he “doesn’t have a management function,” however Stefanik later challenged why the tenured professor remained listed as chair on the college’s web site.
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Shafik recanted, telling Congress that she wanted to verify whether or not Massad was nonetheless chair of the committee, which oversees the periodic evaluate of all departments, facilities and institutes on the college.
“You acknowledged that Professor Massad was not chair. Then you definitely acknowledged he’s underneath investigation. He’s nonetheless chair on the web site. So, has he been terminated as chair?” the congresswoman requested.
Police take safety measures as demonstrators collect exterior Columbia College to assist the scholars’ “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” demanding divestment from Israel in New York Metropolis on April 17, 2024. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu by way of Getty Photos)
Shafik stated she wished “to verify the info earlier than getting again to you,” and Stefanik acknowledged that the college president did verify that Massad was underneath investigation for alleged discrimination.
“Did you verify he was nonetheless the chair?” Stefanik requested.
“I want to verify that with you. I wish to – I have to verify,” Shafik stated.
Stefanik pressed, “Effectively, let me ask you this: Will you make the dedication to take away him as chair?
“I believe that will be – I believe I might, sure. Let me come again with sure. However I believe I simply wish to verify his present standing earlier than I reply,” Shafik instructed the committee, to which Stefanik replied, “We’ll take that as a sure, that you’ll verify that he’ll not be chair.”
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Massad reportedly instructed CNN on Thursday that he intends to stay a member of the committee subsequent yr for a three-year time period. CNN additionally highlighted how Massad is an outgoing chair due to time period limits, that means that he can be leaving the management function in a matter of weeks anyway with none disciplinary motion.
Danielle Wallace is a reporter for Fox Information Digital masking politics, crime, police and extra. Story ideas could be despatched to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on Twitter: @danimwallace.
Stefanik accuses Columbia president of ‘pro-terrorist’ professor ‘cover-up,’ warns of potential felony
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