The letter which set off the tussle between Harvard and US President Donald Trump’s administration was “unauthorised” and “sent by mistake,” an official close to the matter revealed. On April 11, the prestigious American university received an email from the Trump administration that included a series of demands regarding hiring, admissions and curriculum.
Some of these demands were so onerous that Harvard officials had to take on the White House and contest the demands. The protest from the university set off a tectonic battle between Harvard and Trump himself.
However, two people familiar with the email told The New York Times that the mail from the White House’s task force on antisemitism should not have been sent and was “unauthorised”. It is pertinent to note that the controversial letter was sent by the acting general counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services, Sean Keveney, a member of the antisemitism task force.
The letter debacle
The official told the NYT that it is unclear what prompted the letter to be sent last Friday. However, there are different accounts within the Trump administration over how the matter was mishandled. As per the report, some people at the White House believed that the letter was sent prematurely, according to the three people, who requested to remain anonymous.
Content retrieved from: https://www.firstpost.com/world/united-states/letter-that-set-off-trump-harvard-war-was-unauthorised-sent-by-mistake-report-13881155.html.
