Harvard University acquitted its president, Claudine Gay, of accusations of plagiarism without investigating her academic work, as indicated by a report from the New York Post.
According to the information, The Post had access several months ago to a file on several accusations of plagiarism against Gay. However, when the outlet requested comment from the university, it responded with a letter from the law firm Clare Locke, which represented both Harvard and Gay, stating that the accusations were "demonstrably false" and ensuring that all of the university president's works were "cited and properly credited."
"The Post must not move forward with the proposed article," the letter warned.
Despite this, soon afterward, Gay herself reportedly asked Harvard for an investigation into the allegations, and outside experts noted that multiple corrections should be made to her academic record.
According to the report, Harvard continued to pressure The Post not to reveal the plagiarism allegations, even threatening to file a lawsuit for damages. However, the situation changed when Gay offered anti-Semitic testimony before Congress, leading to criticism and calls for her resignation or dismissal. In this context, conservative commentator Chris Rufo made the accusations of plagiarism public.
Revealed: Harvard cleared Claudine Gay of plagiarism BEFORE investigating her — and its lawyers falsely claimed her work was all ‘properly cited’ https://t.co/EvDxh4qc1F pic.twitter.com/p7CQhUoObl
— New York Post (@nypost) December 22, 2023
It was then that the university admitted that Harvard's highest governing body had investigated Gay and that, although "a few instances of inadequate citation" were found, "the analysis found no violation of Harvard's standards for research misconduct." This contradicts the letter's initial claim that all of Gay's works were "cited and properly credited," suggesting that accusations of plagiarism were cleared without rigorous investigation.
This new scandal once again places Harvard at the center of controversy, calling into question its academic integrity and ability to adequately address certain situations. In fact, after this new information came to light, representative and Harvard alumna Elise Stefanik (NY) condemned the university's position and announced that a Congressional investigation would use all available tools, including subpoena power, to examine Harvard's handling of this case and expose potential issues of antisemitism in higher education.
"Harvard University's pathetic record of stifling free speech has expanded beyond campus, threatening the New York Post following their investigation and coverage of Claudine Gay's history of serial plagiarism. This attempt at bullying and subsequent censorship is entirely unacceptable; the Congressional investigation will use every tool at our disposal including subpoena power to expose the rot of antisemitism plaguing higher education and the hypocrisy of the poisoned ivy towers of Harvard," Stefanik said.
