'Disgraceful': Obama 'privately lobbied' Harvard to keep president Claudine Gay after antisemitism scandal

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS: Former President Barack Obama "privately lobbied" to persuade Harvard University to retain President Claudine Gay, despite mounting pressure for her resignation over allegations of antisemitism tolerance on campus and serial plagiarism in her academic work, according to a report by New York Post.

Barack Obama privately lobbied Harvard University to retain Claudine Gay as president

Obama, a 1991 Harvard Law School graduate, spoke with university leaders following Gay's controversial December 5 testimony to the House Education and Workforce Committee, according to a report by Jewish Insider on Friday, December 22.

In that hearing, Gay had suggested that calls for the genocide of Jews could be permissible at Harvard depending on "context."

Sources told Jewish Insider that Obama urged Harvard to keep Gay in office to maintain stability in the administration. It is unclear if he has continued voicing support after allegations emerged this week that Gay plagiarized dozens of passages in her doctoral dissertation and scholarly writings.

Obama's behind-the-scenes campaign comes as Harvard faces ongoing scrutiny from Congress over its handling of both the plagiarism charges and complaints of antisemitism on campus.

The House Education Committee sent a letter Wednesday, December 20, to Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny Pritzker demanding internal records related to the plagiarism scandal. Pritzker formerly served as Commerce Secretary under Obama.

“If a university is willing to look the other way and not hold faculty accountable for engaging in academically dishonest behavior, it cheapens its mission and the value of its education,” wrote the committee's chair, Rep Virginia Foxx (R-NC).

During Gay's December 5 testimony, she and the presidents of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania drew sharp questioning from lawmakers for defending antisemitic protests on their campuses as potentially permissible free speech. Since the hearing, the UPenn president resigned while Gay has remained in her post.

Internet erupts with dismay upon learning of Barack Obama's support for Claudine Gay

The internet erupted with dismay upon learning of Obama's support for Claudine Gay. A wave of strong reactions flooded social media platforms, each encapsulating the widespread disappointment.

"Disgraceful," remarked one user. "Shameful," concurred another.

A third user bluntly criticized, "Worst president ever." "Terrible!!!!" exclaimed another person.

"Disgusting," summed up a fifth user.

Harvard Corporation board released statement reaffirming support for Claudine Gay

As a senior leader of the Harvard Corporation, Pritzker played a key role in selecting Gay as the university's new president in 2022. She praised Gay at the time as "a remarkable leader who is profoundly devoted to sustaining and enhancing Harvard’s academic excellence.”

Pritzker has not publicly commented on the plagiarism controversy or whether Gay should resign. The Harvard Corporation board released a statement last week reaffirming its support for Gay's continued leadership.

However, there are signs that leaders at Harvard feel the university mishandled its response to a Hamas terrorist attack in Israel in October. Billionaire donor Ken Griffin told the New York Times that Pritzker agreed Harvard should have released a stronger statement condemning the violence.

The ongoing turmoil has prompted some wealthy Harvard supporters to halt hundreds of millions of dollars in donations. They have expressed dismay at Gay's handling of antisemitic incidents as well as her own academic integrity issues.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.