Whistleblower alleges political pressure, lack of evidence in antisemitism probes targeting schools
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Trump administration task force created to combat antisemitism pushed for settlements with Ivy League universities despite government investigations that were rushed and incomplete or that failed to…
According to a whistleblower, a Trump administration task force aimed at combating antisemitism pressured Ivy League universities into settling despite investigations that were hasty and incomplete or did not prove wrongdoing by the institutions. The complaint asserts that the inquiries into some of the country's most esteemed academic institutions were orchestrated to coerce the schools into making deals for political reasons.
The investigations' results were "predetermined, irrespective of the evidence" in a "politically mandated effort" to extract money from schools through settlement demands and funding freezes under the guise of eradicating antisemitism, the complaint alleges. Lawyers for the ex-government attorney, whose identity is disclosed as Haley Van Erem, filed the disclosure with the inspectors general at the Justice Department, Health and Human Services, and the Office of Special Counsel on Tuesday.
Van Erem spent nearly a decade working in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division before being assigned to work on the task force last year.
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