Foxx orders Penn to turn over documents for House antisemitism investigation

House Education Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) sent a letter to the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) demanding the school turn over documents related to the House’s investigation of antisemitism on the campus.  

Penn’s board of trustees Chair Ramanan Raghavendran and Interim President Dr. Larry Jameson have until Feb. 7 to provide the documents, with the request coming weeks after Foxx formally announced the investigation into the school.  

“We have grave concerns regarding the inadequacy of Penn’s response to antisemitism on its campus,” Foxx said.

The documents the committee wants to review include reports of antisemitic activity since 2021 and how perpetrators have been disciplined, documents that show foreign donations including from the Qatar Foundation and documents related to a festival held last fall that had antisemitic speakers.

The investigation occurred after former Penn President Liz Magill said during a congressional hearing that it would depend on the context whether calls to commit genocide on Jewish people would be considered harassment on campus.

“Penn’s failure to address antisemitism on its campus has been harshly and widely rebuked,” Foxx said in the letter, highlighting pushback from those within the school and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D). 

Magill resigned after the controversy around her remarks at the hearing. Former Harvard President Claudine Gay also testified, and she resigned shortly after the hearing, for reasons related to her remarks there and plagiarism concerns. The president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the only one still in her position after the hearing. 

The Hill has reached out to Penn for comment.