Ernst, Stefanik Demand FBI Take Action Against Antisemitic Terrorist Threats

WASHINGTON - As antisemitic incidents in the United States have increased 200% since Oct. 7, 2023, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) demanded the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigate Columbia University Apartheid Divest's (CUAD) terrorist threats.

After CUAD celebrated the anniversary of the horrific Oct. 7 attacks as a "moral, military and political victory," praised a Hamas-claimed terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, and once again called for and endorsed violence, Ernst and Stefanik urged the FBI's New York field office and Columbia University leadership not to repeat last year's failures, when Jewish students were told to hide at home.

"The time to act is now. Rarely has the FBI had such public and obvious evidence of potentially imminent violence. 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," the lawmakers wrote.

Click here to read the full letter.

Background:

As cases of antisemitism on campuses started to increase after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Ernst introduced the Students Bill of Rights Act to protect the First Amendment rights of students and stem discrimination at its source.

In May 2024, Ernst led her colleagues in demanding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigate if 501(c)(3) organizations that have backed the violent pro-Hamas protests on college campuses violated the terms of their tax-exempt status.

In response to antisemitic incidents on college campuses increasing by 700% last year, Ernst introduced legislation requiring universities and the Department of Education to immediately address civil rights complaints if a student experiences violence or harassment on campus because of their heritage.

Last week, Senator Ernst raised concern that Hamas-linked entities on college campuses may be circumventing the Foreign Agents Registration Act to shape U.S. public opinion and policy outcomes.

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