Social media erupts as Harvard president Claudine Gay resigns: 'Should've been fired weeks ago'

Fox News correspondent Molly Line breaks down the Harvard president's resignation on 'Special Report.'

Harvard president Claudine Gay resigned after weeks of controversy about alleged plagiarism and enabling antisemitism on campus.

Gay made national headlines and faced widespread condemnation for offering vague answers at a hearing where she was repeatedly asked about whether calls for genocide against Jewish people on campus qualifies as a violation of Harvard’s rules against bullying and harassment. After her congressional testimony, Gay issued an apology and the university's board ultimately decided to stick by her despite widespread calls from donors and members of Congress for her ouster.

However, since then, she has become embroiled in an entirely different scandal where she was accused of plagiarism in scholarly works. 

On Tuesday afternoon, Gay released a letter where she cited both scandals as well as "racial animus" for influencing her decision to resign, "it has been distressing to have doubt cast on my commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigor—two bedrock values that are fundamental to who I am—and frightening to be subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus."

CHRIS RUFO RESPONDS TO HARVARD PRESIDENT'S RESIGNATION: 'GLAD SHE'S GONE'

Dr. Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University, Liz Magill, President of University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Pamela Nadell, Professor of History and Jewish Studies at American University, and Dr. Sally Kornbluth, President of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee at the Rayburn House Office Building on December 05, 2023 in Washington, DC.  ((Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty