House speaker to visit Columbia University, call for president's resignation

Washington — House Speaker Mike Johnson is visiting Columbia University connected Wednesday, wherever he's expected to telephone for nan university's president to resign arsenic nan field has been roiled pinch accusations of antisemitism amid ongoing pro-Palestinian protests.

Johnson said successful an question and reply connected "The Hugh Hewitt" show Wednesday greeting that he plans to telephone connected Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to resign, saying Shafik "has shown to beryllium a very weak, inept leader." GOP Reps. Mike Lawler and Nicole Malliotakis of New York are slated to subordinate nan speaker connected Wednesday. 

The speaker's remarks are group to attraction connected "the troubling emergence of virulent antisemitism connected America's assemblage campuses," according to a connection from his office. He's group to speak Wednesday afternoon, aft gathering pinch Jewish students. 

The sojourn comes arsenic assemblage campuses proceed to beryllium roiled by protests and tensions related to nan Israel-Hamas war, arsenic galore of nan protests are seeking that nan universities divest financial holdings successful Israel. At Columbia University, demonstrators person taken complete a information of nan New York City campus, creating an encampment arsenic nan protests person persisted for a week. 

University leaders person been toeing a statement connected really to definitive disdain astir antisemitic connection and enforce assemblage policies while besides allowing students to believe free speech, arsenic they look accusations that colleges are not doing capable to protect Jewish students. And tensions person reached a fever transportation astatine immoderate of nan nation's astir prestigious universities successful caller days arsenic nan demonstrations person worn on.

Speaker of nan House Mike Johnson speaks pursuing a briefing pinch National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan astatine nan U.S. Capitol connected February 15, 2024 successful Washington, DC.  Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Republicans nationally person seized upon a reluctance from assemblage presidents to telephone retired antisemitism connected their campuses successful nan aftermath of nan Israel-Hamas war. The move gained steam successful December, erstwhile a group of university presidents testified earlier a legislature committee. Rep. Elise Stefanik, nan GOP convention chair, pressed nan administrators astatine nan proceeding connected really they person handled antisemitic incidents connected their campuses.

Since then, Stefanik has led nan complaint among Republicans, pushing for nan resignation of nan assemblage leaders. The presidents of nan University of Pennsylvania and Harvard person already resigned. And past week, Columbia's president became nan latest to attest earlier Congress. 

Johnson's sojourn to nan field further elevates nan issue, and marks nan latest successful a bid of visits from lawmakers this week. Meanwhile, each Republican personnel of New York's legislature delegation has called for Columbia's president to resign.

In a missive earlier this week, nan group of 10 New York Republicans, which includes Stefanik, Malliotakis and Lawler, called connected Shafik to resign, saying nan caller events connected nan field and Shafik's grounds earlier Congress near them pinch "no confidence" successful nan president's leadership.

"The ongoing business that has unfolded is simply a nonstop denotation of your continued lax enforcement of argumentation and clear double standards," nan missive says. "While nan rot is systemic, nan work rests squarely connected your shoulders."

Nikole Killion contributed reporting.

In:
• Mike Johnson
• Columbia University
• Antisemitism