Commissioner Jones says federal agencies are delaying document requests in antisemitism probe

Commissioner Jones raised concerns during the Jan. 16 business meeting that the commission’s bipartisan investigation into antisemitism on American college and university campuses is being impeded by delayed responses from the Departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services.

"The commission staff sent document requests and interrogatories to DOJ, the Education Department, and HHS that had been pending since September 9," Jones said. He told colleagues the original deadline had been in October and that the commission extended it to Nov. 19, 2025 because of the government shutdown, but the agencies had not produced the requested material as of the meeting.

Jones said the commission voted unanimously last year to open the investigation and that it had planned a robust briefing with dozens of panelists representing diverse perspectives. He called on colleagues with relationships in the administration to encourage agency compliance, saying federal law requires departments and agencies to respond to discovery requests.

Chair Rochelle Garza reiterated the commission’s bipartisan commitment to the investigation and thanked Jones for raising the issue; she earlier noted the commission had conducted a notational vote and "unanimously agreed to hold the public briefing on 02/19/2026, followed by a public listening session on 02/20/2026."

No agency representatives responded during the meeting, and commissioners did not announce a formal enforcement action at the session. The commission scheduled the briefing and listening session and said it will proceed with the events and continue to press for compliance with discovery requests ahead of the public dates.