GOP House Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) as well as Senator Joni Ernst (R-ID) are demanding that a pro-Palestinian group at Columbia University be investigated over "violent threats" made by a member of the pro-Palestinian group, the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) coalition, as well as calls for violence from the group that were made on Oct. 8 this year. 

The GOP lawmakers cited threats from one member of the group, Khymani James, who in the spring said that “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists." The group initially published a statement to apologize, but now the group has retracted the apology and doubled down on a message of violence.

The letter from Stefanik and Ernst stated, "Regarding these terroristic threats, CUAD initially wrote a statement apologizing for and disavowing such heinous remarks. However, on October 8, 2024, CUAD apologized for the apology, saying its contrition 'does not represent … CUAD’s values.' In the same statement, CUAD advocated for 'liberation by any means necessary, including armed resistance,' and even wrote, in black and white, 'violence is the only path forward.'"

The retraction of the apology was posted by the group online, and said that the former apology was "written by several CUAD organizers, not Khymani, and does not represent Khymani or CUAD's values of political lines." The statement about the retraction said the whole group was complicit in not taking the public post from the spring off their Instagram page and "exposed Khymani to even more hatred from white supremacists and queerphobic liberals and fascists."

The lawmakers placed blame on the group as those who organized on the Columbia campus in the spring to violently take over Hamilton Hall. "In light of the considerable violence occurring for which this group is already responsible, and Columbia University’s inability and unwillingness to police its own campus necessitating it to request the NYPD intervene, federal intervention is now necessary," the letter added.

The GOP lawmakers ended the letter, "This cannot become another instance in which a terrible case of violence takes place at a school and the FBI issues a statement after the fact that the perpetrators were “on its radar,” but did nothing. Put simply, the writing is on the wall and you have no excuse. Do your job."

Letter From Sen. Ernst and Rep. Stefanik to FBI