'For Crying Out Loud!': Rick Allen Shreds Georgetown President For Lack Of Action On Antisemitism

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During a House Education Committee hearing before the Congressional recess, Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA) asked Interim President of Georgetown University Dr. Robert M. Groves about antisemitism from one of Georgetown University's lecturers.

Transcript

00:00I recognize the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Allen.

00:05Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to thank all of you for being here today and testifying.

00:12Growing up, my parents basically ingrained in me the biblical definition of free speech,

00:22and that was my mother always said,

00:25if you can't say something nice about somebody or your country, don't say anything at all.

00:32AI says in a biblical context, free speech is not an absolute, unrestricted right.

00:40Instead, it is a freedom that comes with responsibilities and limitations.

00:45While the Bible emphasizes the importance of speaking truth and building others up,

00:49it also highlights the need for restraint, graciousness, and love in communication.

00:58Wouldn't this place be a better place if we could all behave like that?

01:04Isn't that amazing?

01:06So, I've got to ask some hard questions.

01:08Dr. Groves, are you familiar with Francesca Abanesa?

01:13Yes, I am.

01:14In 2014, Abanesa wrote America and Europe, one of them subjugated by the Jewish lobby

01:21and the other by the sense of guilt about the Holocaust.

01:25When did Georgetown bring Abanesa on as an affiliated scholar?

01:32I think she came in 2015, roughly, but she only gave a few lectures.

01:38She is not on the payroll of Georgetown and never was, Congressman.

01:43Was Georgetown aware of Abanesa's anti-Semitic statements at that time?

01:49Not to my knowledge.

01:50That's the first I've heard of that statement.

01:53In the decades since, Abanesa has continued to endorse terrorism and spread anti-Semitism.

02:00In that time, did Georgetown consider terminating its relationship with Abanesa?

02:06I don't know the answer to that.

02:09Happy to follow up on whether that was a consideration, but she is not at Georgetown.

02:14She is not on the payroll, and she's not present on campus.

02:18Last week, the Trump administration sanctioned Abanesa over her long track record of supporting

02:23terrorism and perpetrating anti-Semitism.

02:26Is Abanesa still an affiliated scholar of Georgetown?

02:31She is still listed as an affiliate, but she's not present on campus nor participating in the center.

02:39And let me tell you the problem we have here.

02:42Like I said, the way I was brought up, you have accountability.

02:46In other words, you've got to have guardrails.

02:50And if you get outside of those guardrails, you do something about it.

02:53You don't let this stuff linger on because it just rots.

02:59And that's the problem we all, I think, have up here is, crying out loud, you've got to

03:05get rid of these people that are perpetrating this hate.

03:10A question here, last April, the violent encampment at Columbia filled headlines, City College of

03:18New York, this encampment caused $3 million worth of damage.

03:20For example, how many CUNY staff, students, staff, and faculty were involved in the encampment?

03:28Do we know?

03:31So we ended up disciplining seven individuals in that encampment who ended up breaking into

03:39one of the buildings.

03:41Well, I mean, were they put in prison?

03:47Have they been indicted?

03:49Have they gone before a jury of their peers, their crimes?

03:54We collaborated with the district attorney in those cases.

03:59And there were seven individuals who were disciplined.

04:01I cannot comment on the individual discipline.

04:03But what I can tell you also, we have a zero tolerance policy on encampment.

04:07Some of the lessons learned in that encampment have guided our work after that, and that we've

04:13been successful in making sure that we have had no other encampments in our campuses as

04:18a result of that experience.

04:20Well, all I can tell you, things have changed a lot since I was in college.

04:23Where I went to college, they didn't put up with this stuff, and you knew it, and that's

04:28why you stayed within those guardrails.

04:31Of course, that's the way it was in high school and middle school as well.

04:36How many students have been suspended or expelled this year because of this violence and vandalism?

04:46How many students have been expelled?

04:49Because of the encampment?

04:51Right.

04:51We had three students of the seven that were disciplined as a result of that.

04:59How about faculty?

05:00There were four.

05:02When you say discipline, what does that mean?

05:04I cannot comment on the individual cases.

05:06Discipline goes from reprimands, training, suspension, or termination.

05:13And we have terminated individuals and the faculty and staff for violating our policies on anti-Semitism.

05:21Well, the great thing about this country is you have the right to prove that you're innocent.

05:25But if you're guilty, you know what?

05:28You get fired.

05:29The gentleman's time has expired, and I recognize the gentleman from New York, Mr. Mannion.

05:36Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to all the witnesses.

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