State Democrats, former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder and the Virginia NAACP are speaking out against what they describe as politically motivated federal investigations and partisan interference in the leadership of Virginia’s colleges and universities.

“What we’re seeing today is not a matter of policy differences — it’s a pattern, a coordinated effort to silence, punish and erase,” Wilder said during a press conference with state Democrats at the General Assembly Building on July 24.

The press conference on outside influence in Virginia’s public universities followed the opening of multiple investigations by the Department of Justice into George Mason University and its president, Gregory Washington, alleging antisemitism and discriminatory admissions, scholarships and hirings. GMU leadership has promised cooperation with the investigations but has disputed the allegations.

Democratic leaders denounced the investigations as the latest example of baseless, partisan targeting of successful institutions. They pointed to University of Virginia President Jim Ryan’s resignation following a separate DOJ probe, the non-renewal of Virginia Military Institute Superintendent Cedric Wins’ contract, and widespread leadership changes at state universities under Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration.

Similar criticisms were made during a Virginia NAACP press conference earlier that day outside the Fairfax County Courthouse.

“The Virginia NAACP is laser-focused on the travesty of the so-called DOJ investigation of GMU and Dr. Greg Washington and labels it the witch hunt that it truly is,”  Virginia NAACP President Cozy Bailey said. “We will continue to call out the governor and federal entities in this latest attempt to undermine our institutions of higher learning here in the Commonwealth and across the nation.”

Along with voicing their support for Virginia’s universities and criticisms of outside influence, state Democratic leaders shared plans to address college operations and their relationship to state leadership to prevent similar issues in the future.

With fall elections poised to reshape Virginia’s political landscape, Democrats emphasized the need to reevaluate the Youngkin administration’s influence over state colleges and the current process for appointing university leadership.

“This is the time now to make sure that we’re protecting our students, we’re protecting our Commonwealth,” House Speaker Don Scott said. “These people are hurting our institutions, and we have a responsibility now to take another look at it.”

In response to the Democrats’ press conference, Youngkin’s spokesperson, Peter Finocchio, said “there is no place for antisemitism” on college campuses or for racial preferences in admissions or hiring.

“We must follow the law as established by the Supreme Court and federal laws, including civil rights statutes,” Finocchio