Fox News' Sean Hannity and Cornel West Clash Over Ousted Harvard President Claudine Gay

Fox News host Sean Hannity and independent presidential candidate Cornel West engaged in a heated debate on Friday, January 5, over the treatment of former Harvard University President Claudine Gay, RadarOnline.com has learned.

The clash occurred during Hannity's show, where West suggested that the attacks on Gay, who is recognized as the "first Black woman president of Harvard", were racially motivated, and that the plagiarism allegations were just a cover.

Hannity introduced West, whom he described as his "former friend," with a hint of disappointment in his voice. He criticized West for resorting to "the race card" and claiming racism as the reason for Gay's ousting, arguing that her removal was not motivated by race.

"I mean, you always call me 'Brother Hannity,' and I know you teach divinity, but Dr. West, really? This is really beneath you, if you don’t mind me being very blunt," Hannity told West. "For you to go to the race card and say that Dr. Gay was pushed out because of racism, that’s not why she was pushed out. You know the code of conduct as well as anybody at Harvard."

"You almost got tenure at Harvard, you understand it well, and you know that if similar comments about the elimination or genocide of any, quote, 'identity group,' African-Americans, people in the LGBTQ+ community, if any of these comments that were made against the Jewish people were made against other groups, you would not be saying that’s racism."

"Why did you sink to this low and claim racism?" Hannity questioned West's stance.

West responded by asserting that he knew Gay personally and believed that she was not anti-Semitic. He acknowledged his critique of her weak response to the plagiarism allegations but emphasized that it did not warrant her resignation.

"You know and I know there has been attempts to impose tremendous pressures on universities with big money donors dictating various conditions under which they will give, and there’s been attempts to reshape universities," the presidential hopeful told Hannity. "Now, you and I know there’s orthodoxies in the universities, I’m against all orthodoxies, there’s no doubt about that, but the very notion that you think it was about plagiarism, that’s window dressing.

"Laurence Tribe plagiarized from Peter J. Abrams much more than she did and he remained a prized professor at Harvard Law."

West continued to bring up “a whole host of folk who plagiarized and don’t get this kind of vicious treatment” before listing the various racial attacks Gay had received.

“You’re gonna say that has nothing to do with race? Has nothing to do with race, Brother? Come on!” he shouted at the Fox News host.

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Hannity turned to the subject of Israel and told West that he "should be leading the charge" against calls for the eradication of the Israeli state.

West told the host, "I stand against any genocide, brother. I stand against the genocide of your Irish brothers and sisters, I stand against the genocide of Black people, I stand against the genocide of Jews, but I also stand against the genocide of Palestinians and it is no accident that some of the same people who were behind pushing her out, [Bill] Ackman himself, Summers himself, whole host of Blum and others who have been against affirmative action, they also won’t say a word about the genocide against Palestinians."