The Harvard and UPenn presidents walked into a trap in Congress

‘There’s no evidence anyone since 7 October, or even in recent history, has called for the genocide of Jews on any American campus, public or private.’ Photograph: Ken Cedeno/Reuters

Last week in Congress, Representative Elise Stefanik proved how well she can throw a dead cat.

Let me explain. During an hours-long hearing on 5 December, members of Congress grilled university presidents from Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania, some of the country’s most elite institutions of higher learning, about antisemitism on their campuses. But it was Stefanik’s questioning that grabbed the spotlight. She repeatedly asked the presidents essentially the same question: does calling for the genocide of Jews on your campus constitute harassment, yes or no?