Former President Barack Obama has reportedly come to the defense of Harvard President Claudine Gay after she faced backlash for her testimony on antisemitism before Congress. According to a confidential source familiar with the matter, Obama, who is a Harvard graduate, privately lobbied on Gay's behalf. This move was seen by some as an attempt to rally support and maintain stability within the broader administration.

Gay's testimony before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce drew criticism when she claimed that calling for the genocide of Jews on campus would only warrant a response based on the "context." This statement sparked outrage on social media and even prompted a response from the White House.

In response to the backlash, Gay issued an apology, and the fellows of the Harvard Corporation released a statement backing her, despite widespread calls for her resignation. The board also addressed allegations of plagiarism against Gay's academic writing, which were first raised in October.

On Tuesday, a complaint was reportedly filed with Harvard's research integrity officer, Stacey Springs, detailing over 40 allegations of plagiarism in Gay's academic works. These allegations range from missing quotation marks to entire paragraphs copied verbatim without proper attribution.

The Harvard Corporation released a summary of a review, stating that Gay will request three corrections to her 1997 Ph.D. dissertation and that two additional instances of "duplicative language without appropriate attribution" were found. These findings have put a spotlight on Penny Pritzker, a former Obama administration official and major Harvard donor, who led the search committee that named Gay as president.

House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx has also demanded more information from Harvard regarding the handling of the plagiarism allegations and the application of the university's Honor Code.

The New York Times reported that a few Harvard faculty members saw the plagiarism allegations against Gay as "potentially serious" but were unwilling to speak publicly. An internal review conducted by Harvard found two more instances of inadequate citation in Gay's work.

Some members of the Harvard community expressed concern over the inconsistent application of standards, with professor Theda Skocpol stating, "It's troubling to see the standards we apply to undergrads seem to differ from the standards we apply to faculty."

Despite the allegations, the Harvard Corporation released a statement reaffirming its support for Gay's leadership and stating that she did not violate school standards, although there were instances of inadequate citation. This has raised concerns about accountability and consistency within the academic community.

Fox News reached out to Harvard for comment but has not received a response at this time. The controversy surrounding Gay's testimony and subsequent plagiarism allegations continues to unfold, with attention also being drawn to the role of Obama and Pritzker in supporting her.