Multiple members of Harvard University leadership were subpoenaed Friday morning as the House investigates the school’s response to antisemitism on campus.
House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) subpoenaed Harvard Corporation senior fellow Penny Pritzker, interim President Dr. Alan Garber, and Harvard Management Company CEO N.P. Narvekar in an effort to obtain “priority documents” she says the school has been withholding in the inquiry.
“I am extremely disappointed in the path that Harvard has chosen to take in the Committee’s investigation. Over the course of this investigation, Harvard has touted its willingness to work with the Committee, citing the thousands of pages of documents it has produced,” Foxx said in a press release. “Harvard’s continued failure to satisfy the Committee’s requests is unacceptable.”
“I will not tolerate delay and defiance of our investigation while Harvard’s Jewish students continue to endure the firestorm of antisemitism that has engulfed its campus,” she continued. “If Harvard is truly committed to combating antisemitism, it has had every opportunity to demonstrate its commitment with actions, not words.”
The subpoenas came after Foxx fired a warning shot last week, telling school leadership a subpoena was coming if they continued refusing to produce documents requested by the committee. According to the press release, the school has handed over 2,516 pages related to the committee’s investigation, but more than 40% of those records were publicly available already. “Quality — not quantity — is the Committee’s concern,” Foxx wrote.
The committee informed Harvard of its investigation on Dec. 20 and requested related documents from the school Jan. 9, but Foxx has said the responses have been “woefully inadequate.” For the subpoenas asking each of the three members of leadership for different documents, Foxx set a deadline of March 4.
“Harvard has repeatedly failed to satisfy the Committee’s requests within a reasonable timeframe, despite being afforded several accommodations,” each of the three subpoenas began. “The limited and obfuscatory nature of the productions that Harvard has provided in the last month has made clear that it is not treating this congressional inquiry with appropriate seriousness. Given Harvard’s vast resources and the urgency with which it should be addressing the scourge of antisemitism, the evidence suggests that the school is obstructing this investigation and is willing to tolerate the proliferation of antisemitism on its campus.”
The requests for both Garber and Pritzker appear to be identical, demanding documentation and communications for “antisemitic acts” from various leadership departments dating back to Jan. 1, 2021.
The committee is also seeking documents pertaining to subsequent disciplinary actions from such acts targeting “Jews, Israelis, Israel, Zionists, or Zionism,” and similar actions taken against students who are members of those groups.
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Narvekar is only being asked for meeting minutes from the Management Company between the dates of Oct. 7, 2023, and Jan. 2, 2024, while Garbar and Pritzker are also required to produce those records, as well as minutes from Harvard Corporation and Board of Overseers meetings from the same time frame.
Additional minutes and documents are being requested from the school’s Antisemitism Advisory Group.
Read the Alan Garber subpoena below:
Alan Garber Subpoena by web-producers
Read the Penny Pritzker subpoena below:
Penny Pritzker Subpoena by web-producers
Read the N.P. Narvekar subpoena below: