Harvard President Claudine Gay says her antisemitism comments were misunderstood and insists school WILL take action against students calling for the genocide of Jews after ferocious backlash and donor boycott

Harvard President Claudine Gay is today walking back her shocking comments on antisemitism, insisting her words have been 'confused' and that the school will take action against anyone threatening Jewish students. 

Gay and the presidents of UPenn and MIT have been eviscerated for telling congress yesterday that calls for the genocide of Jews do not violate their codes of conduct. 

After ferocious backlash and a donor boycott, Gay released a statement today insisting she'd been misunderstood. 

'There are some who have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students. 

'Let me be clear: Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account,' she said. 

Neither UPenn nor MIT have corrected their president's comments. 

It came as the White House joined condemnation of the women's remarks. 

'It’s unbelievable that this needs to be said: calls for genocide are monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country. 

'Any statements that advocate for the systematic murder of Jews are dangerous and revolting – and we should all stand firmly against them, on the side of human dignity and the most basic values that unite us as Americans,' Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates told Mediaite.

Gay and the other two leaders was asked repeatedly and unequivocally yesterday if calling for the genocide of Jews amounted to bullying or harassment. 

She said the words themselves while 'abhorrent', didn't rise to the level of a rule violation. 

It would only be actionable, she said, if the hate speech crossed into 'conduct'. 

Today, students from the schools along with some of the shocked Republicans present at the hearing say it is clear that all three must resign. 

The boards of each school - which ultimately decide whether the women will remain in their positions - are yet to make their positions clear. 

And while donors including Bill Ackman have expressed their disgust with the remarks, other prominent alumni and donors like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg remain silent on the issue. 

The Harvard Board of Overseers is yet to respond to inquiries on Dr. Gay's remarks, as is its Alumni Association. UPenn and MIT have been equally silent.   

Rep. Elise Stefanik ( who was the most aggressive in questioning the trio yesterday, slammed the 'moral depravity' of their answers. 

'I've been in a number of very high-profile congressional hearings over the years and the pathetic moral depravity on display by the witnesses, the three universities presidents from Harvard, Mitt and Penn, I haven't witnessed anything like that. 

'I asked the question in such a way it was an easy yes, that calling for the genocide of Jews in fact does violate their policies and code of conduct when it comes to bullying and harassment.

'Their answers were pathetic. I was so shaken, Harris, and what was probably the most tragic aspect of the hearing to me was there were a number of Jewish students from those schools in the audience sitting behind them and to watch just the fear as they are listening to the presidents of these universities fail to answer a basic question of moral clarity was abyss mall.' 

Jewish students from UPenn have also spoken out against the testimony. 

They say they had been begging for leadership for months before October 7, and were ignored.