Harvard Removes Republican Lawmaker From Advisory Committee Over Claims Of Election Fraud
Topline
The Harvard Institute of Politics announced Tuesday it has removed Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) from its Senior Advisory Committee following her repeated echoing of baseless claims of widespread voter fraud from President Donald Trump, and her decision to vote against certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory last Wednesday.
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) addresses the virtual convention on August 26, 2020. The convention … [+]
Photo Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee
Key Facts
In a letter released Tuesday, Harvard Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf wrote that Stefanik has made public assertions about fraud in the presidential election that have “no basis in evidence, and she has made public statements about court actions related to the election that are incorrect.”
Elmendorf said the school initially asked Stefanik to step aside, but that when she declined, the school removed her.
In response, Stefanik, who graduated from Harvard in 2006, said the administration’s decision “to cower and cave to the woke Left will continue to erode diversity of thought.”
Stefanik added that she considered being “boycotted, protested, and canceled” by American colleges and universities as “a rite of passage and badge of honor” for conservative Republicans.
Crucial Quote:
Elmendorf said his request of Stefanik to step down was “not about political parties, political ideology, or her choice of candidate as president,” but instead that her “assertions and statements do not reflect policy disagreements but bear on the foundations of the electoral process through which this country’s leaders are chosen.”
Key Background:
Local outlets have reported that multiple organizations have called on Stefanik, who represents New York’s 21st District in the North Country and has been a loyal supporter of President Trump, to resign due to her actions in the aftermath of the election and her perceived role in the lead up to the violent riots and deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol building. Last Thursday, the day after the chaos at the Capitol, protesters gathered outside her offices to demand she relinquish her House seat. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told The Post-Star Stefanik’s “lacks discipline and understanding of the harm President Trump has caused this country,” Gillibrand said. “She is complicit.” On Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo stated members of New York’s Congressional delegation should call for Trump’s resignation. “If they say I don’t think he should resign, yeah, then you’re complicit, you’re part of it, you condoned it, you’re with the mob,” Cuomo asserted. Stefanik declared she has no intention of resigning and will also oppose efforts to impeach Trump.
Big Number:
147. That’s the number of House Republicans who voted against certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
Tangent:
In the six days since the attack on the Capitol, many major corporations and banks have announced they are discontinuing or reviewing the political donations made through their PACs to the Republican members of Congress that challenged the certification of Biden’s victory.
Further Reading:
Elise Stefanik and the Institute of Politics (Harvard.edu)
Cuomo to Stefanik, all NY reps: Ask Trump to resign or you’re ‘with the mob’ (Syracuse.com)
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