Columbia University threatened with subpoenas over U.S. House antisemitism investigation

Columbia University could face subpoenas if it doesn’t comply with a U.S. House investigation into reports of rising antisemitism on college campuses.

"The committee's been requesting information for months. Columbia has stonewalled us, and this is the last chance for Columbia to comply voluntarily," House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chair Virginia Foxx told NPR.

Foxx sent a letter to Columbia University leaders on Thursday warning subpoenas would follow if university leaders don't share the information the committee has requested.

"We feel like the administration is just not taking the problem seriously," she told NPR.

The North Carolina Republican said the committee is specifically looking for information related to the encampment on campus, the occupation of Hamilton Hall, subsequent disciplinary action, and the communications of the Board of Trustee meetings.

"We want to understand how the Columbia administrators and Board of Trustee members responded to the events that unfolded on campus, and then what steps are they taking to hold all those responsible to account," she said. "This has been a very, very frustrating effort, because if they have nothing to hide, why would they not share?"

The committee has rarely issued subpoenas, Foxx said.

"We've tried to communicate in our letters that we are very serious, but the subpoena is a much more serious thing, and we hope that their lawyers will explain to them that we are due these documents," Foxx said. "We have oversight responsibility. We are due the documents, and they need to produce them."

A Columbia University spokesperson said the university is reviewing the letter from the committee.

“We are committed to combating antisemitism and all forms of hate,” the spokesperson said in a statement to NPR.

Investigation started in February

The committee in February launched an investigation into reports of antisemitism and harassment at Columbia University in the wake of the student protests around Israel and Gaza. Since the investigation began, the committee has sent numerous requests for materials from the university.

The committee has given the university a deadline of August 8 to produce the documents and information, or face subpoenas.

Foxx said that new deadline will allow the committee to examine the documents provided by Columbia in order to have answers before students return to campus in the fall.

"Everybody's concern is ensuring the safety of Jewish students on campus. That is at the bottom of this, and that's why we are pressing these people to let us know what their actions are," she said. "If they don't take serious actions, the students don't know if they'll be safe this fall, and that's important."

House Republicans have spent months summoning university leaders to testify on Capitol Hill over allegations of antisemitism on their campuses, as students called for their schools to divest from Israel as it prosecutes its war against Hamas.

GOP-led committees held hearings that showcased the voices of students who said they faced harassment on and around campus for being Jewish.

The probes led to various resignations from university leaders and became a political tool in the GOP campaign to draw attention to divisions within the Democratic party.