Letter to Harvard sent by mistake by Trump officials, claims NYT report

A controversial letter sent by the Donald Trump administration to Harvard University, demanding restrictions on campus activism and other changes, was sent by "mistake", the New York Times reported, citing an official.

The letter, dated April 11 and signed by three federal officials, including Sean Keveney, acting general counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services, asked Harvard to put a stop to its diversity efforts. It further demanded that the university limit student activism on the campus, monitor international students and even appoint right-leaning faculty members. These demands were seen as part of the Trump administration's effort to address antisemitism on campus.

After the university publicly rejected the demands on Monday, Josh Gruenbaum, a top lawyer at the General Services Administration, made a "frantic" call to one of Harvard’s attorneys, as per the New York Times report. Gruenbaum said that the letter was a "mistake" and had not been authorised, the report added.