| Speaker Mike Johnson’s visit to Columbia University on Wednesday was a transparent, but nonetheless deeply disturbing, A political gesture. It is a significant escalation to the right’s attack on universities after October 7, |
| Johnson, the third-in-line to the presidency, shirked the constitutional duties of his office in order to gain points with MAGA opponents who were angry with him for allowing the vote on Ukraine aid. Johnson attempted to out-DeSantis Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by attacking and interfering with higher education. |
| The right-wing has gained ground in recent months by picking carefully its targets: schools that are associated with elitism or privilege. University leaders should band together, rather than acting individually and defensively to defend their independence against outside political interference. |
| Johnson’s visit to Columbia came in the wake of a hearing last week in which its president, Minouche Shafik, testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. She tried, to “answer for the rampant antisemitism engulfing their campuses and threatening their Jewish students.” |
| Shafik’s performance has been roundly… |
