DC Mayor Bowser and police chief will speak at Congress about protests at GWU campus
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith are scheduled to testify at the House Oversight Committee about pro-Palestinian protests at George Washington University. The hearing will address concerns of antisemitism on college campuses following the conflict in the Middle East. The session, titled “Oversight of D.C.’s Response to Unlawful Activity and Antisemitism,” will commence at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith will testify before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday regarding the pro-Palestinian protests and encampment at George Washington University.
Officials from the House Oversight Committee and the mayor’s office confirmed to the Washington Examiner that both Bowser and Smith will appear before the committee as part of House Republicans’ “crackdown” on antisemitism spreading across college campuses due to the war in the Middle East.
The hearing, “Oversight of D.C.’s Response to Unlawful Activity and Antisemitism,” will begin at 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Both House Oversight and Education and the Workforce committees have demanded answers from district leadership over reports that police “refused” to clear pro-Palestinian encampments at the university.
“It is deeply disturbing that while GWU has attempted to take concrete measures to protect the safety of its Jewish student body from persecution and harassment, it is hindered by the MPD’s refusal to provide assistance clearing out the encampment, over fears of public criticism,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) wrote in a letter last week.
On Tuesday, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) began circulating a letter to Bowser about the situation at George Washington University for other members to join. The letter says it is “well past time for District officials to intervene and protect all students on campus.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“As early as April 26, one day after the encampment was set up in University Yard, GW President Ellen Granberg requested MPD assistance. You ignored that request for help,” the letter said.
“GW has called upon you, as Mayor of Washington, DC, to step in and provide action and resources,” the letter continued. “You have an obligation to assist, and you should not hesitate any longer. As Mayor of Washington, DC, you must do more to eradicate hatred and protect all students on campus and local residents of Washington, DC. We would hope that you share my concerns and want to protect the community from hate.”
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
