The reason behind the crisis between Trump and Harvard has emerged

It has been stated that the dispute between the Trump administration and Harvard arose due to an "unauthorized letter."

According to information provided by US sources, the tension between Harvard University, which has been frequently mentioned in protests organized in support of Palestine, and the administration led by former President Donald Trump, erupted due to a letter sent to the university without prior approval.

Five US officials, who spoke to the New York Times on the condition of anonymity, detailed the tensions.

According to two officials familiar with the matter, the Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, which operates under the auspices of the White House, sent a letter to the university administration on April 11 "without authorization." It was stated that this letter was one of the primary factors in the ongoing tension.

Three other officials stated that the document, which contained the federal government's demands for "university reform" at Harvard, was sent by Sean Keveney, who serves on the task force and is also the Acting General Counsel at the US Department of Health and Human Services.

The officials emphasized that there were serious disagreements within the White House regarding the sending of the letter. According to some officials, the letter was delivered to the university at an inopportune time. Others believed that the letter should not have been sent to Harvard at all, but rather only circulated among task force members.

According to two other individuals with knowledge of the developments, after the letter reached the university, Josh Gruenbaum, one of the three lawyers involved in the federal government's contacts with Harvard and a senior official at the US General Services Administration (GSA), spoke with university officials by phone. It was reported that during this call, Gruenbaum, along with Acting General Counsel of the Department of Education Thomas Wheeler, stated that "they had not authorized anyone to send the letter."

Following these statements, the Harvard administration held an emergency meeting. Three people with knowledge of the meeting stated that at the end of the session, "many people" believed the letter had been sent to the university by "mistake."

TRUMP AND HARVARD TENSION

The Trump administration had threatened to suspend federal support provided to many universities, including Harvard, citing pro-Palestine demonstrations on campuses and the diversity, equity, and inclusion policies implemented by the universities.

The administration had announced that a comprehensive investigation had been launched to "determine whether the more than 8.7 billion dollars in grant support that Harvard receives from various sources is being used in accordance with civil rights laws."

Harvard University, for its part, rejected this initiative, stating that it did not look favorably upon Trump's demands for "university reform." University professors had filed a lawsuit against the investigation launched into the 8.7 billion dollars in federal funds.

Following this development, the Trump administration announced that 2.2 billion dollars in funding and 60 million dollars in contract payments to Harvard had been suspended.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt justified this sanction against Harvard by arguing that "laws regarding antisemitism" must be enforced.

On the other hand, the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) also announced to the public that Harvard's current tax-exempt status was under review.

News Source: AA