Trump administration sues Harvard over alleged failure to protect Jewish and Israeli students, seeks billions

By Fox News · Fox News

The Trump administration filed a lawsuit Friday against Harvard University, alleging that it failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students by essentially enabling antisemitism on campus in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel by Hamas. The 44-page lawsuit, filed in Massachusetts, is the latest in an ongoing battle between the White House and the Ivy League school. The complaint alleges that Harvard has tolerated antisemitic mobs comprised of students, faculty members and visitors opposed to Israel and has acted with indifference by selectively enforcing its campus rules to permit the continuation of the harassment. "Harvard University has failed to protect its Jewish students from harassment and has allowed discrimination to wreak havoc on its campus," a White House spokesperson told Fox News. "President Trump is committed to ensuring every student can pursue their academic goals in a safe environment." TRUMP SECURES $221M COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SETTLEMENT OVER ALLEGED CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS The administration is seeking to recover billions of taxpayer dollars given to the elite university by federal agencies. "Since October 7th, 2023, too many of our educational institutions have allowed anti-Semitism to flourish on campus – Harvard included," said Attorney General Pam Bondi. "Today’s litigation underscores the Trump Administration’s commitment to demanding better from our nation’s schools and putting an end to discriminatory behavior that harms students." In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Harvard spokesperson said the university "cares deeply" about its Jewish and Israeli students and remains committed to making sure they are embraced and respected. "Our actions illustrate this. Harvard has taken substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism and actively enforces anti-harassment and anti-discrimination rules and policies on campus," the statement said. "We also have enhanced training and education on antisemitism for stu…