Federal government questioned former Columbia University president over campus antisemitism

Investigators from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) interviewed erstwhile Columbia University interim President Katrina Armstrong implicit field antisemitism issues, according to a report.

The Wall Street Journal reported that investigators from HHS interviewed Armstrong connected April 1 during a closed-door deposition pursuing her resignation connected March 28. Armstrong besides announced Sunday she's taking a permission from her presumption astatine the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, wherever she was the main enforcement officer.

During the deposition, Armstrong said she didn't cognize astir allegations of Jewish students being spit connected and didn't cognize names of respective module members who allegedly handed retired pro-Hamas worldly that defended the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

Armstrong besides said she didn't cognize students astatine Columbia University were calling for Israel's destruction.

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Undated photograph provided by Columbia University connected Aug. 16, 2024, of interim President Dr. Katrina A. Armstrong. (Jorg Meyer Photography/Columbia University via AP)

Sean Keveney, acting wide counsel of HHS, wasn't pleased astatine Armstrong's answers, according to portions of a transcript released by the Wall Street Journal.

"I’m conscionable trying to recognize however you person specified a unspeakable representation of circumstantial incidents of antisemitism erstwhile you’re intelligibly an intelligent doctor," Keveney said.

Armstrong told HHS officials that "It has been a very, very, precise challenging year," according to the New York Times.

"I bash not person circumstantial recollections, sitting here, of what is successful this study oregon what I callback from this report," she added.

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Student protesters stitchery successful their encampment connected the Columbia University campus, April 29, 2024, successful New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Columbia University's erstwhile interim president said respective times during the deposition that portions of the past twelvemonth are a "blur" and said she had issues remembering circumstantial details.

Columbia University's committee of trustees attempted to abstracted itself from Armstrong's grounds to HHS officials successful a statement.

"Columbia University is firmly committed to resolving the issues raised by our national regulators with respect to discrimination, harassment, and antisemitism," the committee said. "This grounds does not bespeak the hard enactment undertaken by the University to combat antisemitism, harassment, and favoritism and guarantee the information and wellbeing of our community."

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President Donald Trump speaks astatine the National Republican Congressional Committee meal successful Washington, D.C., April 8, 2025. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)

Armstrong's grounds to HHS comes aft the Trump medication successful March moved to propulsion backmost implicit $400 cardinal successful backing to the institution. Negotiations connected restoring the backing began aft the assemblage agreed to respective demands, specified arsenic revamping its protestation policies.

Fox News Digital reached retired to HHS and Columbia University for comment.

Fox News' Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.