Harvard Faces Pressure to Respond to President’s Congressional Testimony
The eyes of the world are on Harvard University as pressure mounts on the school to respond to President Donald Trump’s congressional testimony. Trump testified before the House Intelligence Committee on July 24th, 2019 as part of the ongoing impeachment inquiry.
The controversy began when Trump was asked by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff if he had discussed the July 25th phone call with the Ukrainian president with members of his staff. Trump responded that he had not, and that the call was “perfect.”
Since then, Harvard has been under pressure from faculty, alumni, and students to take action against the president for his false testimony. Harvard Law School professor Laurence Tribe, who also serves as a professor at Harvard, has been a vocal critic of the president and has called on the university to take action.
Tribe tweeted, “Harvard must act to protect its students, faculty, and alumni from an administration that has repeatedly lied to Congress and the American people.”
Harvard’s response has been relatively muted. In a statement, the university said, “Harvard is committed to the principles of academic freedom and the pursuit of truth. We are closely following the ongoing impeachment inquiry and are monitoring the situation closely.”
The pressure on Harvard to respond to Trump’s testimony has only increased in recent days. Last week, Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman published an op-ed in the New York Times calling on the university to take action against the president.
Feldman wrote, “Harvard must make clear that it will not tolerate a president who lies to Congress and the American people. Harvard must also be willing to take appropriate action if the president continues to lie.”
The controversy has also sparked debate among Harvard alumni. Many alumni have called on the university to take action against the president, while others have argued in favor of the university’s commitment to academic freedom and the pursuit of truth.
At this point, it is unclear how Harvard will respond to the pressure. The university has yet to make a definitive statement on the matter and it is unclear if it will take any action against the president.
In the meantime, Harvard remains under pressure to respond to Trump’s congressional testimony. The university must decide if it will take action against the president, or remain silent and risk damaging its reputation. Whatever decision it makes, it will be closely watched by the world.
