The U.S. ambassador to Belgium is defending a controversial American academic who first levied plagiarism accusations against a Black professor at the University of Cambridge that have roiled higher education.
Jason Arday, who became the youngest Black professor at Cambridge in 2023, was found dead at his home in London earlier this month. His academic career and personal life had become the subject of intense scrutiny after Nathan Cofnas, an American postdoctoral researcher at Belgium’s Ghent University, published plagiarism allegations against Arday on his Substack.
On Thursday, Cofnas wrote on social media that Ghent had suspended him and he claimed that “they will almost certainly fire me.” Ghent had announced that same day that it was launching a preliminary disciplinary investigation into an unspecified staff member.
Bill White, the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, condemned the suspension in a social media post Friday, writing that the Trump administration would be “reviewing any relationships we have with Ghent University,” and defended Cofnas against what he described as scapegoating.
“The United States government regularly funds and supports research, academic exchanges, and other engagements with overseas universities,” White continued. “Dishonest, corrupt institutions that engage in, or reward, scapegoating mob behavior are not desirable partners for us.”
The university has two ongoing grants from the Department of Defense, whose collective obligations are worth $869,000, according to USAspending.gov.
The American Embassy in Belgium and Ghent University did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Arday’s death propelled a flurry of blame across higher education and beyond, following a public fall from grace. Defenders of Arday argued that he was the victim of a witch hunt targeting a Black professor.
Cofnas, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, wrote in an opinion essay in the Wall Street Journal Friday before White’s statement that he blamed Cambridge for propping Arday up despite his lacking qualifications. He also suggested that extensive media coverage of the scandal was partly responsible.
“I’m an easy scapegoat because I hold views about race that are controversial and easily misunderstood,” wrote Cofnas, whose research touches on differences in intelligence across races and is a self-described “race realist.”
Cofnas was fired from Cambridge’s Emmanuel College in 2024 following immense pushback over his Substack posts that included, among other claims, that, in a meritocracy, “Blacks would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment.”
Cambridge had originally stood by Arday in the immediate days following Cofnas’ article, but later announced it had opened its own investigation into Arday’s credentials. Arday resigned from his post shortly thereafter.
Arday’s family had said in a statement after his death that “the campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason.”