Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday argued against sending in the National Guard to remove disruptive anti-Israel protesters from college campuses, saying he wants to give university presidents more time to resolve the matter.
“What needs to happen, at least at the beginning, is these university presidents need to get control of the situation, allow free speech, and push back against antisemitism,” the Kentucky Republican said of the protests that have caused turmoil on college campuses from coast-to-coast.
“I thought that was largely gone in this country, but we’ve seen a number of young people who are actually anti-Semitic,” McConnell continued, during an interview with “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan. “Why don’t they all sit down and have a civil conversation rather than trying to dominate the talk?”
“And I think the first line of defense is these university presidents.”
When pressed on whether he agrees with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other Republicans who have demanded that National Guard troops be sent in to quell the protests, McConnell signaled that, at least for now, it would be better for university leaders to engage with demonstrators.
“Let’s see if these university presidents can get control of the situation,” McConnell said. “They ought to be able to do that. Civil discussion is what college education is supposed to be about. I’d be interested in hearing the anti-Semitic people explain the justification for that kind of talk.”
Anti-Israel protesters at Columbia University’s Manhattan campus have erected a tent city, leading administrators to limit access to the Ivy League school and forcing students to finish off the spring semester in a hybrid learning environment.
The demonstrators face an early Friday morning deadline to reach a deal with school officials to vacate the lawn they have occupied for the last several days.
“My intention is to call President Biden after we leave here and share with him what we have seen with our own two eyes and demand that he take action,” Johnson said after visiting the school Wednesday.
”If this is not contained quickly, and if this — these threats and intimidation — are not stopped there is an appropriate time for the National Guard,” the House speaker added.
Other Republican lawmakers have echoed Johnson.
“Why hasn’t Joe Biden called in the National Guard?” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) voiced on X
“Send in the National Guard to protect Jewish students,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has demanded, referring to the protesters as “bougie jihadists.”
“A responsible president should send in the National Guard to protect Jewish students like Eisenhower did to protect Black students from Democrat segregationists,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) argued.
Several Columbia-inspired protests have sparked up at other universities, including at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Southern California.
In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that the Texas National Guard was “aware and prepared” to respond to protests at UT-Austin, but Guardsmen were ultimately not sent in.
Abbott said he believes “all of the protesters” belong in jail.