Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) laid into a college president Thursday for relying on flashcards to answer questions surrounding campus antisemitism.
Stefanik, Chairwoman of House Republican Leadership and a senior member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, questioned Haverford College president Wendy Raymond Wednesday in a committee hearing on antisemitism.
Unlike other presidents testifying, Raymond repeatedly refused to detail punishments for students and faculty accused of antisemitism.
But perhaps most astoundingly, Raymond required a cheat sheet to guide her through her incredibly wooden answers – or non-answers.
“It is deeply disturbing the president of Haverford, who leads an institution of higher education, arrived at a hearing on antisemitism armed with a flashcard instead of conviction,” Stefanik told Breitbart News in an exclusive statement. “Nobody should need notes to remember that evil calls for genocide are ‘abhorrent.’”
The use of flashcards or cheat sheets – beyond documents containing statistics and data – is incredibly rare for witnesses testifying before Congressional hearings, particularly on such a charged matter as antisemitism.
Stefanik expressed shock at Raymond’s inability to easily and straightforwardly answer questions on antisemitism without relying on prewritten visual aids.
“This isn’t leadership—it’s cowardice,” Stefanik’s statement continued. “Students deserve better than rehearsed responses. They deserve moral clarity and the courage to confront hate directly.”
Stefanik repeatedly questioned Raymond over a Haveford professor’s social media post describing the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks as “imprisoned people breaking free from their chains,” as well as statements from students. Raymond called antisemitism “repugnant” but refused to discuss individual cases.
Haveford, a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, has come under fire for allowing antisemitism on its campus.
Wednesday’s hearing, and Stefanik’s sharp questioning of Raymond, won’t help Haveford – or Raymond.
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
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