(Bloomberg) -- A US House of Representatives committee is threatening to subpoena Columbia University for not complying with an investigation into reports of antisemitism on campus.
Chairwoman Virginia Foxx of the House Education and the Workforce Committee sent a letter to Columbia on Thursday warning that the New York City-based school would face subpoenas if it failed to share information requested “months ago.” The panel initiated an investigation into Columbia in February, seeking documents about alleged antisemitism at the school relating to protests about Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina, said Columbia has until Aug. 8 to produce the documents, which include emails and text messages between specific administrators.
“Columbia’s continued failure to produce these priority items is unacceptable, and if this is not promptly rectified, the Committee is prepared to compel their production,” Foxx wrote.
A Columbia spokesperson said the university is reviewing the letter. “We are committed to combatting antisemitism and all forms of hate,” the spokesperson said.
The letter comes after an academic year marked by demonstrations across the US from students demanding that schools divest from companies they say have ties to Israel, which which bombed and invaded Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state. Hamas is designated as a terrorist group by the US and European Union.
Reports of antisemitism during the turmoil at Columbia led to President Minouche Shafik testifying before the committee in April. Weeks later, protesters occupied a university building, prompting the school to call in police to remove them in one of the biggest campus confrontations of the year. In July, three deans were removed by the university for texts dismissing concerns raised about the treatment of Jewish students.
The House committee issued subpoenas to Harvard University in February, accusing the school of failing to treat their request for information with “appropriate seriousness.”
Prior committee hearings on antisemitism contributed to presidential resignations at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania.
--With assistance from Janet Lorin.
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