Trump Admin Tries Bizarre New Tactic to Escalate Its Feud With Harvard
The Ivy League is hit with yet another challenge from the administration in their ongoing feud.

Scott Eisen/Getty Images
The Trump administration escalated its feud with Harvard by launching a new Justice Department investigation into the Ivy League’s admissions policies. According to a 14-page letter reviewed by The New York Times, the DOJ informed Harvard Monday that it would be investigating whether or not its admissions process was used to defraud the government under the False Claims Act. It is uncommon for a university to be targeted with the False Claims Act, which is a law typically meant to punish contractors who have been accused of swindling the government. Although the letter doesn’t specify how exactly Harvard might have attempted to defraud the government, the university could be fined hundreds of millions of dollars if found liable. Jonathan Swain, a Harvard spokesperson, said that the university would continue to fight back against the government, claiming that the administration’s actions “will lead to devastating consequences for our nation’s health, economic prosperity, and scientific leadership.” He added: “This investigation is yet another abusive and retaliatory action — the latest of many — that the administration has initiated against Harvard.”
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.