Elise Stefanik demands resignation of CUNY Chancellor due to antisemitism on campus

On Tuesday, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) demanded that City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor Felix V. Matos Rodriguez resign over antisemitism on campus. She also called out New York Governor Kathy Hochul, calling on her to press for his resignation. 

Stefanik was also joined by New York Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, where they both called for Rodriguez to resign from his role.  

"I'm calling on Kathy Hochul, the worst governor in America, who has bent the knee to antisemites ... to call on Chancellor Rodriguez to resign," Stefanik said during a press gaggle in Congress.  

Stefanik made the comments after participating in a hearing on antisemitism in higher education on Tuesday, where the congresswoman slammed Felix V. Matos Rodriguez, the chancellor of CUNY, which has historically been known as the "Jewish Harvard," because of how many Jewish students have attended the university. 

She said that Jewish freshmen were "welcomed with heinous antisemitic taunts about the hostages killed by Hamas."  

She then proceeded to read several quotes that were directed at Jewish freshmen at CUNY, "Where’s Hirsch, you ugly [expletive]... you ain’t going home tonight... all Zionists are terrorists." 

Rodriguez admitted that they were "deplorable statements" and that students were disciplined, but did not provide details on the situation.  

"At Hunter College, Jewish students were forced to enter the main university building under a swastika for hours. Is that correct?" Stefanik added in her grilling of Rodriguez.   

The chancellor then claimed that the symbol was there because they were informing the NYPD in order to complete a hate crime investigation. Stefanik hit back against this, using emails from internal CUNY staff.   

Stefanik also grilled him over how CUNY CLEAR—which Stefanik said is the legal arm of the CUNY school system—is providing legal assistance to Mahmoud Khalil in his immigration case. If Khalil is getting legal assistance from the CUNY system, that would mean New York taxpayers are helping fund Khalil's legal defense.

“Are you aware New York taxpayers are paying the salary of the legal aid to Mahmoud Khalil?” Stefanik said during the hearing, to which the chancellor answered no. 

When pressed on whether the staff who allowed the legal arm to become involved with Khalil's case would be fired, Rodriguez answered, “We will investigate… if there’s disciplinary action to be taken, we’ll take it." 

"Let me make a prediction: no disciplinary action. This individual is not going to be fired—because it’s all words, no action," Stefanik added in response.