Harvard never doubted US demands despite 'overreach'

Janet Lorin, Bloomberg News on Apr 19, 2025

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Harvard University said it had no reason to doubt the seriousness or authenticity of a letter it received from the government this month despite it containing demands that were “astonishing in their overreach.”

What’s more, even if it was sent in error, as the New York Times reported, the administration has only intensified its attack on the university through a series of actions that hurt students, patients and the standing of higher education, a university spokesman warned.

“The letter that Harvard received on Friday, April 11, was signed by three federal officials, placed on official letterhead, was sent from the email inbox of a senior federal official, and was sent on April 11 as promised,” a university spokesman said. “Recipients of such correspondence from the U.S. government — even when it contains sweeping demands that are astonishing in their overreach — do not question its authenticity or seriousness.”

The New York Times, citing people with knowledge of the matter, reported that the letter was sent from Sean Keveney, acting general counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services who’s also a member of the government’s antisemitism task force. Citing unnamed officials, the New York Times wrote that some people within the White House thought it may have been sent prematurely, while others suggested it was meant to be circulated among the task force.

A statement from the task force on Saturday did not comment directly on the letter. “The task force, and the entire Trump administration, is in lockstep on ensuring that entities who receive taxpayer dollars are following all civil rights laws. Harvard needs to own the troubling issues on its campus and make comprehensive, lasting changes to protect all students, faculty, and staff from discrimination,” the statement said.

Regardless of whether the letter was sent erroneously, it has set off a chain of events leading to a remarkable battle between the administration and the oldest and richest U.S. university.

After Harvard President Alan Garber said the university won’t “surrender” its independence, the administration froze more than $2.2 billion in federal grants, President Donald Trump questioned the university’s tax-exempt status, and his homeland secretary chief Kristi Noem threatened to prevent the school from enrolling foreign students.

“Even assuming the administration now wishes to take back its litany of breathtakingly intrusive demands, it appears to have doubled down on those demands through its deeds in recent days,” Harvard’s spokesman said. “Actions speak louder than words.”