Ben Binday (@benbinday) / X

Ben Binday

819 posts

Ben Binday

@benbinday

Politics and government @washingtonpost // words in @chronicle @dailypenn // [email protected] // benbinday.57 on Signal

Washington, DC

Joined October 2023

Pinned
Ben Binday
@benbinday
Apr 16
Personal news! In June, I'll be joining The Washington Post as their politics and government intern. I can't wait to dive into D.C.'s political scene and learn from many talented journalists. If anyone will be in D.C. over the summer, feel free to reach out—I’d love to connect.
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Ben Binday
@benbinday
May 2, 2024
BREAKING: Penn asked the Philadelphia Police Department to immediately help disband the College Green encampment — and the PPD declined to do so until Penn proves that the situation is more dangerous. From @diamywang:
LIVE UPDATES: Tensions at Penn rise at pro-Palestinian encampment on College Green continues
From thedp.com
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Ben Binday
@benbinday
Aug 21, 2025
NEW: Hundreds of unseen docs indicate Josh Shapiro gained an unprecedented level of influence at Penn, sought to ban its main pro-Palestinian group, and had a “partnership” with a significant pro-Israel group on campus. My latest in @chronicle(!):
Josh Shapiro’s Quiet Campaign of Influence at Penn
From chronicle.com
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Ben Binday
@benbinday
Nov 21, 2024
BIG: I exclusively acquired troves of docs between Gov. Shapiro's office and Penn, indicating that the he increasingly stepped into Penn's affairs in the past year — particularly on antisemitism concerns and Penn's encampment. My latest in @dailypenn:
Inside Josh Shapiro's covert push for influence at Penn
From thedp.com
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Ben Binday
@benbinday
Aug 21, 2025
Replying to @benbinday
Shapiro apparently used Penn’s leadership crisis in fall ‘23 to ingratiate himself in the university. He appointed a representative to the Board of Trustees — previously prohibited at Penn — who later sought the ouster of Penn’s president and board chair with Shapiro’s go-ahead.
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Ben Binday
@benbinday
May 2, 2024
Replying to @benbinday
Full story: thedp.com/article/2024/0…
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Ben Binday
@benbinday
Aug 21, 2025
Replying to @benbinday
“I never saw a governor at a board meeting, or even at a kind of board social event or informal meeting,” former Board of Trustees chair Scott Bok tells me. “A governor of Pennsylvania, as far as I know, has never even appeared, let alone chaired, a Board of Trustees meeting.”
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Ben Binday
@benbinday
Aug 21, 2025
Replying to @benbinday
Shapiro and local lawyer Robb Fox (the representative) also apparently spoke with Marc Rowan — a private equity billionaire and the public face of the campaign for Bok and President Liz Magill’s removal — on separate occasions in this time.
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Ben Binday
@benbinday
Aug 21, 2025
Replying to @benbinday
Fox was also installed on Penn’s antisemitism task force — two months after its creation — after intervention from Shapiro and new Penn President Larry Jameson. Fox aligned with the faction of the task force desiring the strongest action against perceived antisemitism on campus.
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Ben Binday
@benbinday
Aug 21, 2025
Replying to @benbinday
Throughout early 2024, Fox — in frequent communication with others on Shapiro’s team — pushed the university to ban its main pro-Palestinian group. In its messaging with administration, Fox and others took cues from research done by a pro-Israel advocacy group on campus.
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Ben Binday
@benbinday
Aug 21, 2025
Replying to @benbinday
In January 2024, a document drafted by the pro-Israel group and later circulated among some of Shapiro’s team called for at least 16 professors to be placed on leave, the adoption of the IHRA antisemitism definition, and for the university to increase its Jewish population.
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Ben Binday
@benbinday
Aug 21, 2025
Replying to @benbinday
Shapiro, in the year since and in the wake of Trump’s attacks on higher ed, has broadly ceased touting his involvement at Penn. Still, though, he has portrayed himself as a voice of reason and a protector of Jewish students on college campuses — including at Penn.
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Ben Binday
@benbinday
Aug 21, 2025
Replying to @benbinday
These efforts culminated during Penn’s spring encampment, when senior admin. frequently communicated with Shapiro’s office. At points, the Gov. received advance notice of plans, negotiation documents, and the identities of protesters from Penn — info which was far from public.
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Ben Binday
@benbinday
Nov 21, 2024
Replying to @benbinday
The piece, the final part of a three-part installation about Penn's encampment, shows that Shapiro inserted himself into key discussions, culminating in regular contact during the spring. It further suggests that he used Penn's power vacuum to attempt to claim influence.
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