A recent congressional investigation has revealed that Harvard University has maintained longstanding partnerships with entities controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including training rising CCP elites, the Washington Free Beacon reports. Three top Republicans—Reps. John Moolenaar (Mich.), Tim Walberg (Mich.), and Elise Stefanik (N.Y.)—have brought these findings to light in a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber.
According to the Free Beacon, Moolenaar, Walberg, and Stefanik, who chair the Select Committee on the CCP, the Committee on Education and Workforce, and House Republican Leadership, respectively told Garber in the letter obtained by the outlet that “whistleblowers detailed the Ivy League university’s partnerships with CCP entities, which have been in place for at least a decade.”
The investigation highlights Harvard Kennedy School’s collaboration with the Chinese Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, which is controlled by the CCP’s Central Organization Department, one of the most powerful bodies within the CCP, according to the Free Beacon. This department oversees ideological training—the “Xi Jinping Thought” program—for CCP elites and controls appointments to key leadership roles. Evidence shows that since at least 2016, some Chinese “party and government cadres” have been sent to Harvard Kennedy School for “education and training” by the CCP’s Organization Department.
There are concerns about Harvard’s involvement in training members of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a sanctioned paramilitary group linked to the CCP’s human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims. According to an April report from the Free Beacon, this concern led GOP leaders to “threaten Harvard’s tax-exempt status, citing its partnerships with entities involved in human rights abuses and potential violations of U.S. sanctions.”
The House committees have demanded that Harvard provide all documents related to its engagement with the Chinese government or CCP-controlled entities, along with a list of benefits received, dating back to January 1, 2015. Harvard must respond by August 7.
The congressional leaders warn that these partnerships raise serious concerns about foreign influence in American institutions and potential violations of U.S. sanctions. Harvard has not publicly commented on these most recent allegations. This investigation is part of broader scrutiny of Harvard’s international ties amid ongoing disputes about campus issues and federal funding.
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