Hakeem Jeffries Says Dems Will Let Investigations Into Harvard ‘Run Their Course’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Democrats will let the ongoing congressional investigations into Harvard “run their course” during a press conference Wednesday morning.

“Top Democrats on those respective committees will handle those investigations, and then at some point, it’ll reach the leadership level,” he said.

House Republicans, led by Rep. Elise M. Stefanik ’06 and Committee on Education and the Workforce Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), are investigating the University’s handling of campus antisemitism after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

While some Democrats have also publicly criticized the University’s response to antisemitism, Jeffries and fellow Democrats in Congress have largely avoided discussing the investigations into Harvard.

Jeffries’ brief remarks came shortly after he spoke at the Breakfast Club, a monthly speaker series led by Harvard men’s basketball head coach Tommy Amaker, which invites prominent public figures to speak to student athletes and other community leaders.

His low-profile visit to Harvard’s campus comes as the University’s relationship with Washington has become increasingly fraught. During the press conference, Jeffries said he was not scheduled to meet with any members of Harvard’s administration.

University spokesperson Jason A. Newton declined to comment for this article.

Jeffries’ talk at Harvard was the first stop in a day-long trip to campaign for Democratic congressional candidates in New Hampshire just two weeks before millions of Americans head to the ballot box.

The event also featured Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey ’92, who later moderated a panel discussion with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Harvard Square. Celtics all-star player Jaylen Brown also attended the event.

Amaker said the talk with Jeffries was a long time in the making, mentioning that Jeffries had expressed interest in speaking at the Breakfast Club when the two had met “a few years ago.”

“He said, ‘I've heard a lot about your Breakfast Club’,” Amaker recalled during the press conference. “‘I said, ‘You’re more than welcome.’”

Jeffries also discussed the 2024 presidential election during his brief media availability.

Jeffries said Black male voters would play an important role in the 2024 election, adding that Vice President Kamala Harris’ proposed “opportunity economy” will directly address “the needs of African American men in terms of economic development and economic empowerment.”

“My message is, we hear you, we see you, and we’re committed to making life better for you,” Jeffries said. “We know that while there’s been significant progress under the Biden-Harris administration, that there’s more work that needs to be done.”

Jeffries stressed the stakes of the upcoming election, saying that Democrats need to remain vigilant over the next 13 days and not “put the cart before the horse.”

“As we run through the finish line, we’re going to continue to continue to draw a contrast between our vision for putting people over politics,” he said.

—Staff writer William C. Mao can be reached at william.mao@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @williamcmao.

—Staff writer Dhruv T. Patel can be reached at dhruv.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @dhruvtkpatel.