A former Justice Department lawyer has alleged that a Trump administration task force created to combat antisemitism pursued settlements with Ivy League universities despite investigations that were rushed, incomplete, and lacked sufficient legal evidence. The complaint, filed by whistleblower Haley Van Erem, asserts that these probes were designed to strong-arm academic institutions into accepting deals for political purposes.
According to the disclosure obtained by The Associated Press, the outcomes of the investigations were "predetermined, without regard to the evidence" as part of a "politically mandated effort" to extract money from schools through settlement demands and funding freezes. Van Erem's lawyers stated that the task force's work was marked by "extraordinary procedural irregularities, predetermined outcomes without factual or legal support" and a disregard for the law and the Constitution.
The task force, launched by the Justice Department under then-Attorney General Pam Bondi in February 2025, operated within a broader context of heightened attention to allegations of antisemitism on college campuses, particularly during protests related to the war in Gaza. President Donald Trump had made rooting out antisemitism a goal upon returning to the White House. However, critics argued that his administration's approach was heavy-handed, infringing on free speech and coercing concessions from public institutions.
Van Erem, who had spent nearly a decade in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, was involuntarily assigned to the Health and Human Services Department to work on Title VI investigations into universities. Initially, these assignments focused on allegations of antisemitism at medical school commencement ceremonies. The scope later expanded to encompass entire institutions, including Columbia and Brown universities.
Van Erem departed the Justice Department in May 2025, citing her unwillingness to continue participating in "politically motivated investigations unsupported by facts and contrary to law." The complaint also includes accusations that the task force targeted Muslim professors.
A Justice Department spokesperson stated that the department "stands behind the integrity" of its investigations. The Health and Human Services Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, characterized the investigations as a "fake, a pre-baked frame-up operation thoroughly political in nature." He argued that the project aimed to harass professors and administrators, curtail academic freedom, and strip universities of federal grants.
The whistleblower complaint specifically addresses investigations into Brown, Harvard, and Columbia universities.
In the case of Brown University, the investigative team reportedly found no evidence of a Title VI violation, yet leadership allegedly refused to issue a notice of no violation and instead pursued a settlement. Columbia University did have evidence of discrimination found by investigators, but the complaint notes the investigation was accelerated, lacking adequate factual development and legal review, and relied on unsubstantiated allegations or protected First Amendment activity. Columbia University ultimately agreed to pay $200 million to restore access to federal funding. Brown University settled for $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations, with no findings of wrongdoing.
Regarding Harvard University, officials allegedly discussed "extraordinary funding freezes and sweeping proposed settlement terms" before the investigation was complete. A federal judge later ordered the Trump administration to reverse cuts of more than $2.6 billion in research funding to Harvard, stating the government used antisemitism as a "smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault." Another judge dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit against Harvard accusing the university of ignoring harassment of Jewish students.