Trump Officers Blame Mistake for Setting Off Confrontation With Harvard

Harvard College acquired an emailed letter from the Trump administration final Friday that included a sequence of calls for about hiring, admissions and curriculum so onerous that college officers determined that they had no alternative however to tackle the White Home.

The college introduced its intentions on Monday, setting off a tectonic battle between one of many nation’s most prestigious universities and a U.S. president. Then, nearly instantly, got here a frantic name from a Trump official.

The April 11 letter from the White Home’s activity pressure on antisemitism, this official instructed Harvard, mustn’t have been despatched and was “unauthorized,” two folks accustomed to the matter mentioned.

The letter was despatched by the performing normal counsel of the Division of Well being and Human Companies, Sean Keveney, in line with three different folks, who have been briefed on the matter. Mr. Keveney is a member of the antisemitism activity pressure.

It’s unclear what prompted the letter to be despatched final Friday. Its content material was genuine, the three folks mentioned, however there have been differing accounts contained in the administration of the way it had been mishandled. Some folks on the White Home believed it had been despatched prematurely, in line with the three folks, who requested anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to talk publicly about inside discussions. Others within the administration thought it had been meant to be circulated among the many activity pressure members relatively than despatched to Harvard.

However its timing was consequential. The letter arrived when Harvard officers believed they might nonetheless avert a confrontation with President Trump. Over the earlier two weeks, Harvard and the duty pressure had engaged in a dialogue. However the letter’s calls for have been so excessive that Harvard concluded {that a} deal would finally be unattainable.