Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), the chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, accused Evanston, Ill., Mayor Daniel Biss on Wednesday of blocking city police from assisting Northwestern University in responding to the 2024 anti-Israel encampment on the campus protesting the war in Gaza — against the school’s request.

Biss, who is running in a competitive race for an open Illinois House seat, pushed back, accusing Walberg of attempting to sabotage his primary campaign at the behest of AIPAC.

“I write with grave concern regarding your failure to protect Jewish students at Northwestern University by refusing to give the university the police support it desperately needed to clear its violent and antisemitic encampment in April 2024,” Walberg said in a letter to Biss. “Just recently you touted this failure in a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, describing the individuals at the encampment as ‘peaceful.’”

Walberg also released internal communications by top Northwestern officials, including former President Michael Schill, about their communications with Biss and efforts to clear the encampment and conduct arrests.

Schill indicated to colleagues that more police would be needed than the school had available to successfully clear the encampment, but the school had to halt plans to do so after Biss communicated to the school that his position on the situation would not change. 

Trustee Michael J. Sacks said in one message to Schill, “I know Biss well. If the winds blow in the wrong way he will throw you under the bus. No hesitation.”

Schill told other colleagues that Sacks and another trustee had said that Biss was untrustworthy and that Sacks had told him in a phone call that Biss was likely to publicize his refusal to provide police support “to shore up his progressive credentials.”

Northwestern, which is located in Evanston, ultimately signed a deal with student leaders of the encampment, acceding to several of the demonstrators’ demands in exchange for ending the encampment.

Walberg further denounced Biss for criticizing an agreement between Northwestern and the federal government. He requested that Biss brief the committee “on, in your words, ‘local law-enforcement coordination’ when it comes to antisemitic activity on college campuses in Evanston.”

Biss fired back, accusing Walberg of doing the bidding of AIPAC, which has formally taken no position in his primary race.

“Rep. Walberg’s inquiry is nothing more than a baseless political attack fueled by his top political patron, AIPAC,” Biss said in a statement. “It’s no coincidence that Rep. Walberg’s letter arrived just eight days before the beginning of early voting in the March primary election. They’re playing cheap political games in service to AIPAC’s right wing agenda. It is shameful.”

Biss added in a separate statement on X, “Trump and his Republican allies are attacking me for defending free speech. Let’s be clear: the GOP is trying to criminalize dissent and pressure local officials to silence peaceful protest. I won’t let that happen in our communities.”