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House Republicans launch investigation into whether Harvard aided Chinese Communist Party
The lawmakers say they intend to "hold Harvard accountable to the American people."
House Republicans issued a new set of demands to Harvard on Monday, informing the university that an investigation is being launched into the school’s ties to China.
In a letter sent to Harvard President Alan Garber, Representatives John Moolenaar, Tim Walberg, and Elise Stefanik alleged the university “repeatedly hosted and trained members of a [Chinese Communist Party] paramilitary organization” and that school researchers “collaborated with China-based academics on research funded by an agent of the Iranian government.”
Moolenar (R-Mich) serves as chair of the House Select Committee on China, while Walberg (R-Mich) is chairman of the Committee on Education and Workforce. Stefanik (R-NY) is chair of the House Republican Conference.
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In a statement, Moolenar alleged a “disturbing pattern that puts U.S. national security at risk.”
“The Select Committee’s investigation will deliver answers, expose the truth, and hold Harvard accountable to the American people,” he said.
A Harvard spokesperson confirmed the letter had been received by the university and said the school “will respond to the Chairs’ letter.”
In the announcement of the investigation, the House Republicans accused Harvard researchers of using funding from the Department of Defense to “partner with China-based academics on research with potential military applications” and alleged researchers partnered with “China-based individuals linked to China’s defense academic and industrial base on research that could advance China’s military modernization.”
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In the letter to Garber, they also demanded the university provide “information regarding the safeguards Harvard places around research collaborations related to organ transplantation” when the work is being conducted with China-based researchers.
“These instances raise serious concerns about whether Harvard adequately protects taxpayer funded research and U.S. national security,” the lawmakers wrote to Garber.
The 14-page letter from the lawmakers included a list of requested documents and testimony from Harvard officials, giving the school a deadline of June 2.
The probe into Harvard’s ties with China is the latest in the back-and-forth between the Cambridge university and the Trump administration, which is using threats of halting funding and stripping the school of its tax-exempt status to pressure compliance with the president’s agenda.
The administration is already withholding nearly $3 billion in federal funding from the school, allegedly Harvard is a hotbed for liberalism and antisemitism. The university is pushing back, resisting the administration’s demands for leadership changes and ending diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. Harvard is suing the Trump administration to stop the funding freezes.
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