Harvard University sued President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday for a sharp escalation of the battle between famous universities and Republicans.
Trump tried to heel some honorable universities, claiming it tolerated campus anti-Semitism, threatened budgets, tax-free status, and threatened foreign students’ registration, but Harvard refused to bow.
“The lawsuit includes government efforts to use federal funds withholding as leverage to gain control over academic decision-making at Harvard,” Ivy League University said in a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts court that nominated several other agencies Trump targeted.
“The government’s actions fluctuate not only on the First Amendment, but also on federal laws and regulations,” the complaint that called Trump’s actions “arbitrarily and whimsical.”
Trump was furious at Harvard for refusing to oversee admission, employment practices and politically sloping governments, and last week ordered a $2.2 billion federal funds to be frozen.
The lawsuit declares that a freeze on federal grants is illegal and requires the Trump administration to pay Harvard’s expenses.