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Justice Department officials leading President Trump’s fight with Harvard University have led multiple lawsuits and schools losing billions in federal funds — say the administration intends to bring the University of California to court on allegations of anti-Semitism.
Leo Terrell, a senior advisor to the Department of Justice’s civil rights division, leads a multi-task force on the fight against anti-Semitism, and in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, he said there was a massive lawsuit. [the] UC System” and “other universities on the east coast of the Midwest.”
“Look for a federal government-submitted hate crime charges. I look for a Title VII lawsuit,” Terrell added, referring to the US civil rights law that protects employment discrimination based on “racial, color, religion, gender, or national origin.” The task force selected UCLA, USC and UC Berkeley, in addition to Harvard University and six other US campuses for the investigation.
Speaking separately in an interview with the Jewish News Syndicate, Terrell said campuses such as Columbia, George Washington, Johns Hopkins, New York, Northwestern University and the University of Minnesota have rejected investigators for the task force. The task force, released in March, did not make intended visits to campuses, students or law enforcement because of “resistance,” he said.
Terrell, a civil rights lawyer who previously worked in Los Angeles and a former Fox News personality, did not elaborate on the “resistance” comment and did not respond to emails from the Times requesting interviews and details about the investigation and pending lawsuit.
In a statement, a UC spokesperson said the university “dislikes anti-Semitism and is committed to dealing with, countering and eradicating it in all forms of the system.”
“We will continue in cooperation with the administration. Anti-Semitism has no place in UC or anywhere else in society,” said Rachel Zaenz, senior director of strategic and critical communications. “The university is fully focused on strengthening programs and policies to eradicate anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination.”
UC has not made any public information regarding whether the task force has visited campus or any information requested from UCLA and UC Berkeley.
A USC spokesman did not answer questions about whether the task force had visited campus.
“The University continues to publicly and explicitly condemn anti-Semitism in all forms and is taking strong action to protect all students, including members of the Jewish community, from illegal discrimination of all kinds,” the University said in a statement. “USC is proud to attract one of the nation’s largest Jewish student organizations. We look forward to being involved in the task force in USC’s efforts to combat anti-Semitism.”
Terrell’s group also said they will meet with mayors of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Boston in February. A spokesman for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ office did not answer questions about whether the LA meeting took place. Terrell told Fox News that he “e-e-e” about the recent meeting with New York Mayor Eric Adams, which Terrell called his “new partner.”
In March, the education department sent letters to 60 campuses warning them to “protect Jewish students” or “facing potential enforcement.” It included four UC campuses: San Diego, Santa Barbara, Berkeley and Davis, as well as USC, Pomona College, Stanford, Chapman University, Santa Monica College and Sacramento.
That same month, the Department of Justice said it launched a civil rights investigation into anti-Semitism allegations at the University of California, and it believes there is a “potential pattern” of discrimination against Jewish employees in the state’s flagship higher education system.
Harvard is under attack from the White House. On October 7, 2023, the White House accused them of aborting anti-Semitism in connection with the pro-Palestinian protests of the war in Gaza sparked by attacks on Israel.
Harvard sued the Trump administration after being cut off from billions of dollars in federal medical research and other funds, and its ability to register foreign students was temporarily revoked before a Boston-based federal judge issued an injunction last week. A hearing on the Foreign Student Case will be held on Thursday.
Harvard says it supports addressing concerns about anti-Semite sentiment, but believes Trump is threatening academic freedom through its governance, admissions practices, ideological diversity and demands to remake student discipline.
Federal offices, including the Department of Education, Judicial and Health and Human Services, have informed dozens of universities about allegations of anti-Semitism and discrimination this year, but Harvard and Columbia face the most powerful actions.
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