Cornell President Cleared of Wrongdoing In Parking Lot Incident
Anti-Israel activists harassed him and then trapped him in his car, surrounding it and then claiming he hit them when he tried to back out of the parking spot. But the activists refused medical attention or to submit sworn statements.
Cornell’s President Michael Kotlikoff was cornered and trapped in his car by anti-Israel activists. When he tried to back out they stepped behind his car, and claimed he ran over one of the activist’s feet. When he tried to pull forward, they stepped in front of his vehicle. He finally was able to drive out.
The activists then launched a campaign against him to demand his removal.
I offered multiple media comments on the incident, concluding that the activists used a “decision dilemma” tactic on him and were responsible, Cornell Anti-Israel Activists Use “Decision Dilemma” Tactic To Confront and Trap University President:
The Board of Trustees appointed an Ad Hoc Committee to investigate, and it just released its findings backing the President, in an all campus email at 10:03 a.m. today that was also posted on the Cornell website (emphasis added)
The Ad Hoc Special Committee of the Board of Trustees, composed of the Chair and Vice Chairs of the Board of Trustees, has completed its review of the events of April 30, 2026, involving Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff and a group of individuals.
In concluding its review, the Committee considered evidence gathered by the Cornell University Police Department (CUPD), which included information gathered at the scene of the incident, verified video footage, and a sworn statement provided by President Kotlikoff to CUPD. The individuals at the scene who reported that the vehicle made contact refused medical treatment from the EMS team and refused to provide sworn statements as to their account of the incident. None of the individuals at the scene have provided sworn statements to CUPD, despite CUPD’s repeated attempts to collect sworn statements in the days following the incident. Consistent with its commitment to ensuring a fair and thorough process, the Committee also engaged independent legal counsel to evaluate the independence and integrity of CUPD’s investigation into these events.
The Committee has determined that the investigation conducted by CUPD was done pursuant to existing policies without any bias or undue influence. The Committee thanks CUPD for its professionalism and diligence in its independent investigation.
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.
CUPD presented the evidence collected to the Tompkins County District Attorney’s office, which determined that no criminal charges were warranted against any individuals involved in this matter. President Kotlikoff has declined to pursue a complaint against the students involved, which would have been required to initiate action under the university’s code of conduct. Appropriate action is being taken against the non-students involved.
Robust debate and peaceful protest are essential to academic life. Expressive activity must occur within the bounds of the law and with respect for the rights and safety of all members of our community. Over the course of his decades-long tenure at Cornell, President Kotlikoff has conveyed his strong belief that with freedom, particularly freedom of speech, comes responsibility. We urge our community to foster and uphold an environment where we allow for debate and dissent practiced with civility, respect, and accountability.
President Kotlikoff has shown a steadfast commitment to Cornell’s values and principles, and we are confident he will continue to lead with integrity as we work together to carry out our shared mission to discover, preserve, and disseminate knowledge, to educate the next generation of global citizens, and to promote a culture of broad inquiry throughout and beyond the Cornell community.
Fox News covered the story and quoted me:
Cornell Law School Professor William Jacobson said the board’s decision confirmed what publicly available videos had already shown.
“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 provided to Fox News Digital.
It’s a mistake for the university not to press student code charges against the students involved. The activists created a very dangerous and arguably illegal provocation, and the claim of the car running over a student’s foot is highly questionable.
Unfortunately the activist community at Cornell will take from this that no matter how aggressive their provocations targeting specific individuals, there will be no consequences.
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Comments
Speedbumps can’t complain
Professor Jacobson’s conclusions are correct. Cornell is an institution of higher learning. Kotlikoff seems to be a slow learner, but he will undoubtedly get more opportunities.
I wish he had been charged. This is war. Leave finer sensibilities to peace time.
Preventing someone from leaving like that, isn’t that akin to kidnapping? I’m not surprised that the university is not going after the students that participated but they should. Until the little thugs like these are immediately expelled so there are consequences for their actions this crap will continue.
Kidnapping may involve some movement of the victim, at least in CA. As a wild guess, NY has laws regarding false imprisonment, and they definitely have conspiracy laws. The whole group of them should have “gone downtown”.
Downtown Ithaca is further left than Cornell.
Why on earth not?
Stupid.
I’m of mixed opinion on this. Yes, the hooligans *should* be charged and kicked out of the university, no fees refunded, and a restraining order imposed. In a just world, that’s a just punishment. Unfortunately, we live in a real world where these precious little darlings will clutch their pearls on TV, become martyrs to the leftist cause, sue the university for unfair practices while being backed up by expensive lawyers, and drag this out for years. It only sharpens the line between “should” and “real” that flares up when leftist thugs are beating on your car windows. You *should* be able to drive away at a brisk pace, regardless of thumping noises under your wheels. This guy did fine. Even if the thugs have broken in a window, running one over during the escape will get you charged by leftist prosecutors bending to the mob screaming for your head. The examples are too numerous to count.
In 1969, 5,000 Cornell students took over Barton Hall, the ROTC and phys ed building. What would you do in those circumstances?
My suggestion would be close the university and send the children home. But Cornell capitulated, creating a precedent of which President Kotlikoff is undoubtedly aware.
My suggestion would be call in sufficient campus policemen, supplemented by security guards, real policemen, or anyone available, arrest them all, and swear out criminal charges against them.
Lack of enforcement against the perpetrators and instigators of these sorts of scripted, very intentional harassment/assaults is plain stupid. Without negative consequences attaching to their actions these goons and other goons observing will not be deterred from creating more of these events. Someone is gonna get hurt or end up dead as a result. We don’t have to wait for it, we’ve already seen that happen with leftist thugs surrounding vehicles multiple times.
Lack of enforcement against the ‘kidnappers’ will bring about a lot more situations where they get run over.
That’s a bad thing for the judicial system and trust therein.
It’s a good thing for society, as far as these disruptors go.
Iniquity in the parking lot. Halfway between wrongdoing and evildoing in the thesaurus.
Cornell’s president is not taking action because those students were presenting their qualifications for future employment as professors. And the president liked what he saw.
kudos to the president–poise in the moment–likely not wanting to get injured himself he nevertheless de-escalated the situation and escaped–lucky–though he certainly would have been entitled to run them over
“President Kotlikoff has declined to pursue a complaint against the students involved, which would have been required to initiate action under the university’s code of conduct.”
—————–
How typically feckless and myopic.
Failing to hold these student-pukes responsible for their infantile, obnoxious, criminal and dangerous conduct, will only embolden them further.
No substantive consequences imposed (expulsion and/or criminal charges), means continued, criminal agitprop behavior and antics.
He’s afraid to cross the priests and prophets of Progressivism.
Funny*…
His refusal to say anything against the students – because he doesn’t want to hurt them or their future prospects (nor his own standing within the Church of Progressivism) is identical to the woman who refused to press charges against Rhamell Burke (violent man who shoved an elderly man down the subway stairs and killed him). It’s identical, and someone will get seriously hurt because of it.
(* Interesting, bizarre, not ha-ha, funny.)
The students should be prosecuted for false imprisonment.
It’s ludicrous that this travesty went as far as the Board of Trustees. The students should have been criminally charged and expelled. The criminal charges (obviously a state matter), and their status at Cornell (enrolled as students at a private Ivy League institution free to impose whatever behavioral standards it may so choose so long as permissible under law) are separate matters. I don’t know why these brats think they own the university and can just act with impunity, however they do not. Until their names are on the deeds and bank accounts, too bad.
“I don’t know why these brats think they own the university and can just act with impunity …”
They look at past behavior of the university and act accordingly.
Makes sense to me that the students doing the trapping would not make statements to police. They would have to lie to try to make the president look bad – which would be a false statement to police.
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