Rufo described Jonatan Pallesen as “a Danish data scientist who has raised new questions about Claudine Gay’s use – and potential misuse – of data in her PhD thesis” in an interview published in his newsletter and on the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal website last Friday.

He did not tell readers that a paper featuring Pallesen’s own statistical work in collaboration with the eugenicist researchers has been subject to scathing expert criticism for its faulty methods, and characterized as white nationalism by another academic critic.

The revelations once again raise questions about the willingness of Rufo – a major ally of Ron DeSantis and powerful culture warrior in Republican politics – to cultivate extremists in the course of his political crusades.

The Guardian emailed Rufo to ask about his repeated platforming of extremists, and asked both Rufo and the Manhattan Institute’s communications office whether they had vetted Pallesen before publishing the interview. Neither responded.

  • DigitalTraveler42@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I like how this is all really starting to blow up in both Harvard and the ouster faction’s faces, because it really was just a bunch of rich anti-woke assholes throwing a tantrum over something stupid in order to have one less black person in a position of authority.

    Also the fact that the female worst version of Joe Lieberman, Elise Stefanik, is one of the ring leaders of this should have told everyone that this is just performative political bullshit based in racism rather than the antisemitism she’s claiming.

    I’m all for calling out antisemitism, but this wasn’t it.

    • jonne@infosec.pub
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      11 months ago

      How is it blowing up in their faces? They got their scalp, they’ve shown they can get rid of anyone they don’t like for bullshit reasons, and there’s going to be no consequences to either Rufo or Bill Ackman.

      The fact that it’s all lies doesn’t matter, it didn’t matter when Rufo used misleading definitions of DEI or any of the other witch hunts he started. The mainstream media will just uncritically repeat what he says and go along with everything.

      • DigitalTraveler42@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        While all fair points, but when a guy like Bill Ackman is getting press he’s losing, overall I’m just appreciative of any blowback coming their way.

        • rusticus@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          Fuck Bill Ackman. Love that his wife is taking it on the chin as she should.

        • jonne@infosec.pub
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          11 months ago

          Eh, it’s maybe a little bit funny to see how thin-skinned he is, but he’s not going to lose any business over this, and he got everything he wanted. He won, and he’s only pissed off that people on Twitter were mean to him about it.

    • rusticus@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      Thank you for simplifying it. This was a slam dunk move for corporatists whose primary goal is divide and conquer. Mission accomplished!