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A senior Trump official informed Harvard that the controversial letter demanding changes in admissions and curriculum was unauthorized.
Students walk on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US. (IMAGE: REUTERS)
A senior official from US President Donald Trump’s administration informed Harvard University officials that the controversial letter sent to the institution last week had not been properly authorised, The New York Times reported.
The letter, dated April 11 and attributed to the White House’s task force on antisemitism, included what Harvard officials described as sweeping and intrusive demands relating to its admissions policies, hiring decisions and curriculum. The university issued a public statement on April 14 pushing back against the administration.
A report by the New York Times said that shortly after Harvard made its stance public, an official from the Trump administration reached out to the university claiming the letter had been sent in error.
Officials told the newspaper that the communication to the university was described as “unauthorised”.
The report said that Sean Keveney, the acting general counsel at the Department of Health and Human Services and a member of the antisemitism task force had sent the letter.
While its contents reflected internal discussions, confusion within the administration reportedly led to disagreement over whether the letter was meant for Harvard at all.
Some officials believed it was prematurely sent, while others said it was intended solely for internal circulation among task force members.
Officials from the university said the letter arrived at a sensitive moment. The report added that Harvard had been in active dialogue with the task force for two weeks and believed there was still room to avoid a public dispute. Citing university officials it said that the tone and substance of the demands in the letter made reconciliation unlikely, the report said.
The newspaper said that the letter triggered “a tectonic battle between one of the country’s most prestigious universities and a US President”.
- Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
