Purdue defers before releasing response to congressional demands on Chinese students

How Purdue answered House Select Committee’s accusations of ‘Trojan horse’ for national security on campus held back for congressional permission. Plus, university responds to recent visa revocations

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PURDUE DEFERS BEFORE RELEASING RESPONSE TO CONGRESSIONAL DEMANDS ON CHINESE STUDENTS

After meeting an April 1 deadline to answer a series of congressional questions about Chinese students on campus, Purdue continues a week later to hold off on releasing what it wrote, giving deference to the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

“While not expressing a particular position on our state disclosure requirements, the Select Committee did ask us to maintain confidentiality around our letter until it has an opportunity to review and evaluate all university responses,” Trevor Peters, a Purdue spokesman, said.

Officials with the offices of U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican and chair of the committee, and with the House Select Committee itself did not immediately respond to questions about Purdue’s response and how it would be used. The same went for responses requested from presidents at Carnegie Mellon, Stanford and the universities of Illinois, Maryland and Southern California.

Based in Lafayette has requested a copy from Purdue and from the House Select Committee.

Moolenaar sent a letter March 19, demanding details about the numbers and research influence of students from China in STEM disciplines on the West Lafayette campus and saying that the student visa system was “a Trojan horse for Beijing, providing unrestricted access to our top research institutions.”