Abby Phillip to Lawler: ‘You Are Fine with the Gov’t Dictating What Universities Can and Cannot Teach, Yes?’

EXCERPT:

TANDEN: “I mean, how would people feel if a Democratic administration said to Brigham Young University, you know, 'You can‘t have a kind of program anymore or you have to have an external panel look at what you‘re teaching.'"

LAWLER: "Actually, they do it in New York State."

TANDEN: "No, they don't."

LAWLER: "They do it in New York State, where they go into private schools and say, 'You cannot teach this, that and the other thing.'"

PHILLIP: "Are you talking about private, like, grade schools?"

LAWLER: "I‘m talking within K-12 and higher ed."

PHILLIP: "Okay. We‘re talking about American universities, right?"

TANDEN: "American universities."

PHILLIP: "Yeah."

LAWLER: "It's all part of our education system, and it‘s government telling universities and institutions of education what they can and cannot teach."

PHILLIP: "Hold on a second. Let me just — because I just want to be clear, what you‘re saying. You are fine with the government dictating what universities can and cannot teach? Yes or no?"

LAWLER: "When you are taking federal dollars, you have to uphold — "

PHILLIP: "Yes or no?"

LAWLER: "Abby, it‘s not that simple."

PHILLIP: "How is it not that simple?"