Claire Shipman, the acting president of Columbia University, has come under scrutiny following the release of private text messages in which she suggested removing a Jewish trustee from the university's board due to her pro-Israel advocacy and advocated for adding an Arab member instead. These messages, dating back to January 2024 before Shipman assumed the acting presidency, were obtained and released by the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce amid ongoing investigations into antisemitism on Columbia's campus. In one message, Shipman referred to the Jewish trustee as "a fox in the henhouse" and expressed frustration with her. The controversy has prompted Shipman to issue a private apology to campus leaders, describing her remarks as a "moment of immense pressure." The Anti-Defamation League expressed concern over the comments and called for a public apology. Some Columbia faculty members have controversially accused the Jewish trustee of leaking the texts, despite the university providing them to Congress. The incident has drawn attention to issues of antisemitism and board governance at Columbia University.