At today's House Education Committee hearing, Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL) grilled Columbia University President Minouche Shafik about antisemitism on campus.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Mr. Bean, you're recognized for five minutes.
00:03 Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and good afternoon.
00:05 Columbia beats Harvard and UPenn.
00:10 Y'all have done something that they weren't able to do.
00:12 You've been able to condemn anti-Semitism without using the phrase "it depends on the
00:19 context."
00:20 But the problem is, action on campus doesn't match your rhetoric today.
00:26 You're saying the right things.
00:28 You're saying we're not going to tolerate it, but we see the videos.
00:31 We see what's happening on social media.
00:33 And just this morning, all of these students, your students, your students, their message
00:39 is quite different.
00:40 Their message is one of fear.
00:42 How about that?
00:43 They can't walk across campus without getting the F word yelled at them.
00:48 F Jews, intifada, all kinds of things.
00:51 My heart aches for them.
00:52 It should be hard academically at Columbia, but it shouldn't be hard to walk across campus.
00:58 And it is.
01:01 So words don't match your actions.
01:04 And you can have 200 meetings.
01:06 You can put people on double secret probation, as you have.
01:10 You can write very strongly worded letters.
01:13 Don't ever do it again.
01:14 But that's not solving the problems.
01:16 Look at the fear in their eyes right now.
01:18 One of them said this morning in a press conference that we got to spend some time with that security
01:22 on campus.
01:24 Are you ready for this?
01:26 Security on campus told them, remove anything that identifies you as Jewish when things
01:33 get hot.
01:35 That's the way to stay safe on Columbia's campuses.
01:39 Don't look Jewish and you'll be safe.
01:42 Is that your policy, Madam President?
01:46 To stay safe?
01:47 Just don't look Jewish?
01:50 Not at all.
01:51 So the stuff, have you met with them?
01:53 I know you've met with them 200 times, but why is their message different from yours?
01:58 Why are they saying it happens all the time, every week, going to class?
02:02 Are you aware of that?
02:04 It's a yes or no question.
02:05 Are you aware that there's a problem on campus?
02:07 You're aware?
02:08 Yes, is the right answer.
02:10 You're aware.
02:11 As president of the board, Ms. Shipman, thank you for being here.
02:17 Are you aware, though, that this once prestigious university's reputation is just going down
02:24 the toilet because of all of the anti-Semitism that's flourishing on campus?
02:30 Are you aware?
02:31 I'm aware of how serious this moment is.
02:33 I appreciate your urgency.
02:36 We're not done.
02:37 I recognize what we have to do.
02:38 Have we quadrupled security on campus?
02:41 Have we expelled students?
02:43 How many students have we expelled?
02:45 We have massively increased our security capacity.
02:47 Have we expelled anybody?
02:49 There's so many hate groups on campus.
02:51 I want you all to know, this is America.
02:55 It's 2024, and you shouldn't fear going to the library just because of your faith.
03:01 Madam Chair, I yield the rest of my time to the gentlelady from New York, Ms. Stefanik.