A letter that sparked a clash between Harvard University and the Trump administration was revealed to be “unauthorized” and “sent by mistake.” On April 11, the Trump administration sent an email to Harvard with a list of demands regarding hiring, admissions, and curriculum. Some of these demands were so extreme that Harvard had to challenge them. This led to a fierce confrontation between the university and President Trump. However, two sources told The New York Times that the email from the White House’s antisemitism task force shouldn’t have been sent. It was “unauthorized.” The letter had been signed by Sean Keveney, acting general counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Why the Letter Was a Mistake
The reasons behind sending the letter remain unclear. Different accounts within the Trump administration suggest it was mishandled. Some believed it was sent too early, while others thought it was only meant to be circulated internally. The letter surprised Harvard, especially since the university was already in talks with the task force. Harvard quickly decided that continuing discussions would be “impossible.”
A senior White House official defended the letter. May Mailman, a White House policy strategist, blamed Harvard for not calling the task force. “It was malpractice on the side of Harvard’s lawyers not to pick up the phone,” she said. “Instead, Harvard went on a victimhood campaign.”
Mailman added that talks could still resume if Harvard apologized and followed Trump’s demands, including addressing antisemitism on campus. A spokesperson for the task force said the administration is focused on ensuring that taxpayer-funded entities follow civil rights laws.
Harvard’s Response
Harvard rejected the claim that it should have checked with the administration’s lawyers before going public. The university pointed out that the letter had been sent by three federal officials and came from a senior government official’s email inbox. Harvard insisted that it could not question the authenticity of such official communication, even if the demands were “astonishing.”
Harvard also noted that it was unclear what mistakes had been made by the government. However, the university stressed that the letter’s impact on students, employees, and the reputation of American higher education was real.
Shock at Harvard
For two weeks, Harvard’s lawyers, William Burck and Robert Hur, had been communicating with Trump administration officials, including Josh Gruenbaum and Thomas Wheeler. They were expecting a letter from the task force, but when it arrived, they were shocked. After Harvard made its public statement rejecting the demands, Harvard’s lawyers received calls from Gruenbaum.
In one call, Gruenbaum admitted that he and Wheeler hadn’t authorized sending the letter. However, he quickly changed his story, saying it was meant to be sent eventually—just not while talks were still ongoing. This explanation came too late. The battle between Harvard and the Trump administration escalated after Harvard’s rejection.
In response, the White House froze $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard. The next day, President Trump threatened to revoke the university’s tax-exempt status.
