Cornell Board Clears President Kotlikoff After Confrontation With Anti-Israel Protesters

Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff has been cleared of wrongdoing by the school's board of trustees following a confrontation with anti-Israel students on April 30.

The incident occurred after a debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A group of anti-Israel individuals, whom Kotlikoff described as both students and non-students, followed him to his car while questioning him. Kotlikoff said he told the group he would not answer more questions and asked them to stop recording, but they refused. He then entered his vehicle, backed out of the parking spot and drove away. Kotlikoff said he waited until space was clear behind his car. Students for a Democratic Cornell alleged his vehicle struck one person and ran over another's foot.

An Ad Hoc Special Committee of the Board of Trustees issued a statement Friday detailing its review of the confrontation. The committee expressed support for Kotlikoff and considered evidence from the Cornell University Police Department, including verified footage and a sworn statement Kotlikoff provided to police.

The statement said the person who reported vehicle contact at the scene refused EMS treatment and declined to give a sworn statement to police. No individuals at the scene provided sworn statements about the incident.

"The Committee has found that the actions taken by these individuals on April 30th, which included following President Kotlikoff from an evening event into a parking lot and impeding his ability to leave, are inconsistent with university policies governing expressive activity and our standards for respectful conduct, safety, and the prohibition of intimidation," the statement said.

Cornell police presented their evidence to the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office, which decided against criminal charges, according to the statement. The committee noted Kotlikoff declined to file a complaint against the students involved but said appropriate action is being taken against the non-students.

Cornell Law School Professor William Jacobson said the board's decision confirmed what public videos showed. "The result of the Board of Trustees investigation into the incident between activists and Cornell's President confirms what the public videos showed - reckless conduct meant to trap and confront the President in a dangerous manner, and highly questionable claims of injury by the activists," Jacobson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.