Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., called for Brown University's president to testify before Congress and answer questions regarding last weekend's on-campus fatal shooting of two students.
"It seems very clear to me that the president of @BrownUniversity will need to be hauled in front of Congress for a hearing under oath," Stefanik wrote on X, signaling Republicans are weighing a Capitol Hill spotlight on what critics call an inadequate university response.
The demand comes as the manhunt drags on and public frustration grows over the lack of clear answers about the shooter, motive, and security failures at one of the nation's most elite campuses.
Authorities say two students — 19-year-old Ella Cook and 18-year-old Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov — were killed, while nine other students were injured in the shooting inside Brown's Barus & Holley engineering building.
At a Tuesday media briefing, Brown President Christina H. Paxson pushed back sharply at criticism, insisting the university is "deeply committed" to safety and saying she was "deeply saddened" to see people questioning that commitment, according to GoLocalProv.
Paxson also argued that "the shooter is responsible," language that drew backlash from residents and parents who want to know what the school did, or failed to do, to protect students and preserve evidence in the chaotic hours after the attack.
GoLocalProv also reported that security analyst Juliette Kayyem criticized Brown for waiting more than two days to encourage students and staff who were in or near the building to contact Providence police for interviews — a delay made more consequential because the semester ended and many students left campus shortly after the shooting.
Paxson's remarks at the briefing, particularly her focus on perceptions of Brown's safety posture and her comments on gun violence, sparked intense criticism online, as families demanded hard details such as surveillance video, suspect descriptions, and why investigators appeared to have so little to share days later.
Meanwhile, law enforcement continues to hunt for the gunman and is asking the public for help filling gaps left by limited camera coverage.
Investigators are piecing together a timeline from neighborhood footage and have released video/images of a masked person of interest seen near campus before and after the shooting.
For conservatives, Stefanik's call reflects a broader demand for accountability from institutions that often preach "safety" and "community" while spending heavily on bureaucracy, yet still appear unprepared for real-world threats.
Congressional testimony, under oath, could force Brown's leadership to answer basic questions: Why were witnesses not immediately contacted? What security measures were in place in a campus building used by students on a weekend? What camera coverage existed, and why has it been so difficult to identify the killer?
With two families burying their children and a suspect still at large, Stefanik and other lawmakers argue that elite universities should not be allowed to hide behind press-office talking points.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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