U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) is demanding answers from U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona over billions of unreported dollars allegedly given to American universities from foreign entities.
The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce recently cited a report from the Network Contagion Research Institute claiming at least 200 American colleges and universities illegally withheld information on approximately $13 billion in undisclosed contributions from foreign regimes, many of which were authoritarian. The report also suggested the influx in foreign money was correlated to the rise in antisemitic incidents on college campuses.
The report claimed:
From 2015 to 2020, institutions that accepted money from Middle Eastern donors had, on average, 300 percent more antisemitic incidents than those institutions that did not.
From 2015 to 2020, institutions that accepted undisclosed funds from authoritarian donors had, on average, 250 percent more antisemitic incidents than those institutions that did not.
"We have seen a horrific rise in antisemitism on college campuses across our country since the October 7th attack on Israel," Moore said. "I believe it's no coincidence that many of the universities failing to condemn antisemitism also illegally failed to disclose large gifts from foreign countries. I call on Secretary Cardona to immediately launch an investigation into these illegally undisclosed gifts and their influence on our universities."
In the letter to Cardona, Moore expressed dismay that universities have not been penalized or investigated for failing to report the funds, calling the failure illegal and citing legal codes that dictate fines and imprisonment for institutions that conceal contributions.
"Campuses which received these undocumented funds exhibited twice as many political campaigns to silence academics as campuses which did not receive this funding," Moore continued. "With the recent rise in inflammatory rhetoric across the campuses that have accepted this funding, there seems to be a correlation between the overseas funding and the political climate on America's campuses. The billions of dollars that have primarily been given by the country of Qatar. As you may be aware, Qatar is the current home of Hamas leadership."
"Why have these colleges, who did not fulfill their mandatory duty to disclose foreign gifts, not been held accountable? We have several questions regarding the Department's lack of action in this matter," he said.
U.S. Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) joined Moore's letter, asking a series of elucidating questions from the Department of Education regarding the contributions.
The questions posed to Cardona are as follows:
Are you aware of these undocumented disclosures?
If so, when did you become aware of the failure to disclose, and what actions have you taken to ensure the institutions of higher education abide by their reporting obligations?
Have any institutes of higher education been held accountable so far?
If so, which colleges and universities and in what way have they been held accountable?
What protocols are being put in place to ensure this kind of activity does not go undetected again?
Are there other undisclosed gifts not included within the $15 billion currently identified?
Has the Department taken into account the correlation between these foreign gifts and the rise of antisemitism on college campuses?
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
