Administration officials believed that a detailed list of requests sent to Harvard last Friday was a secret and would serve as a foundation for further consultations.
However, those officials were caught off guard when Harvard released the letter Monday. Up until that point, the administration had planned a more generous approach to Harvard than Columbia University. However, after the release of the letter, insiders say the government has decided to shift gears and increase pressure on Harvard.
People close to the university said it was never agreed to keep the letter private. Requests such as federal surveillance of hospitalizations, employment practices, and even ideological trends for students and staff were deemed unacceptable by Harvard University from the start.
The demand came from a newly formed Trump administration group called the Task Force to combat anti-Semitism.
In an open letter to the Harvard community, President Alan Gerber said the list of requests is not about working with us to address anti-Semitism in a collaborative and constructive way. He also said, “We have notified the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement.”
MNA