WATCH: Rep. Elise Stefanik mocks Haverford President for blatant antisemitism

In a fiery congressional hearing yesterday (Wednesday), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) sharply criticized Haverford College President Wendy Raymond for her handling of antisemitism on campus, accusing her of ineffective leadership and failing to enforce policies against hate speech, particularly in response to incidents linked to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

Stefanik intensely questioned Raymond on whether calls for violence against Jews, including rhetoric celebrating the October 7 massacre, are protected speech at Haverford.

Raymond insisted that such rhetoric is not tolerated and that disciplinary measures had been implemented but declined to provide specifics, prompting Stefanik to warn that evasive responses have led to the resignations of other university presidents, referencing her 2023 questioning of former Penn President Liz Magill. “Many people have sat in this position who are no longer presidents for failing to answer straightforward questions,” Stefanik said.

In a particularly charged moment, Stefanik pressed Raymond about a Haverford professor who allegedly celebrated the October 7 Hamas attack, which killed over 1,200 Israelis and is designated as a terrorist act by the U.S., Canada, and the EU.

Raymond’s response, that such statements could be “perceived in many ways”, drew sharp rebuke from Stefanik, who called it a refusal to unequivocally condemn terrorism. “She couldn’t bring herself to say celebrating mass terrorism is wrong,” Stefanik posted on X, labeling it a continuation of the “depends on the context” evasions she has criticized in higher education leaders.

Raymond acknowledged shortcomings, stating, “We can do better, and I can do better,” and apologized to Jewish students: “You are valued members of our community… I’m sorry that my leadership let you down.” She noted Haverford’s efforts to address antisemitism, including updates to its anti - bias policy, protest regulations, honor code revisions, and enhanced campus safety measures. However, these steps did little to blunt the scrutiny from Stefanik and other lawmakers.

Representative Randy Fine also attacked Raymond: "A Haverford professor, Guangtian Ha, said in August 2024, "The only way to deal with Zionists is to stop talking to them and refuse to let them waste your time."

Fine asked: "Ha must have Zionist students, which means these students have less access to education, given his earlier statement?"

Raymond answered "Discrimination of any form is unacceptable." Fine asked her if he still works there, to which she said, "He does," clearly shoeing double standards.

We have seen similar questioning before. We have also seen that allowing rampant antisemitism on a US college campus has had dire consequences for Presidents. As such, it's very hard to understand why Raymond skirted questions. The only possible explanation is that she agrees with the antisemites, which is obviously troubling.

Also, with the Trump Administration's recent disciplining both students who engage in antisemitic acts on college campuses, and the campuses themselves, it makes it even harder to understand Raymond's reponses.

The hearing, part of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce’s ongoing probe into campus antisemitism following the October 7 attacks and subsequent pro-Palestinian protests, highlighted Haverford’s “F” grade from the Anti-Defamation League, shared only with DePaul University, for its handling of antisemitism.