House Oversight Committee Launches Investigation Into Harvard, Requests Documents Related to Trump’s Demands

Updated April 17, 2025, at 7:40 p.m.

Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform opened an investigation into alleged civil rights violations at Harvard over its response to campus antisemitism.

In a five-page letter addressed to Harvard President Alan Garber ’76, committee chair Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) asked the University to hand over communications between Harvard officials, faculty, and staff regarding demands issued by the Trump administration on Friday.

The Thursday letter alleged that Garber’s refusal to comply with the demands revealed the University was “unwilling to prevent unlawful discrimination.”

“No matter how entitled your behavior, no institution is entitled to violate the law,” Comer and Stefanik wrote.

A Harvard spokesperson Jason A. Newton wrote in a statement that Harvard is reviewing the committee’s inquiry which “appears to be a direct response to the University’s commitment to uphold its independence and constitutional rights.”

The move comes just three days after the Trump administration slashed $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts and one day after the Internal Revenue Service reportedly began making plans to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status.

The requested documents include correspondence on “merit-based” reform to Harvard’s hiring and admissions practices; on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; on governance reforms; and on admissions policies for international students who “may have views contrary to that of the United States.”

[ Read the Trump administration’s April 11 demands to Harvard. ]

Comer and Stefanik alleged the practices were in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which the White House used to justify slashing $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University in March.

They also asked for any documents regarding efforts to empower senior faculty members and weaken the influence of faculty activists — both of which were requested by the Trump administration on Friday.

And they asked for correspondence regarding reforms to programs and student groups at Harvard they accused of promoting antisemitism on campus, as well as disciplinary procedures.

The Trump administration has asked Harvard to derecognize pro-Palestine student organizations and penalize their members.

Earlier this month, Harvard placed the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee on probation and banned the organization from hosting events until July. Unrecognized student groups have continued to hold events on campus but have faced tighter restrictions from Harvard College administrators.

In the letter, Comer and Stefanik took aim at the $151 million Harvard received from foreign governments between January 2020 and October 2024, citing a study that linked a rise in foreign funding to increased campus antisemitism. The lawmakers asked Harvard to share any internal communications regarding funding from foreign governments.

The lawmakers also accused Harvard of violating Title IX law by allowing transgender women to compete on Harvard’s athletic teams and use women’s restrooms and locker rooms.

Harvard has until May 1 to respond to the committee’s request for documents.

Comer and Stefanik also reserved their right to request that Garber and other Harvard employees sit in for a transcribed interview in Washington.

The last time a Harvard president — Garber’s predecessor, Claudine Gay — testified before Congress, it spelled the swift end of her time in Massachusetts Hall. Gay’s testimony also preceded the launch of a yearlong congressional investigation into antisemitism allegations at Harvard, which was spearheaded by Stefanik.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

—Staff writer Dhruv T. Patel can be reached at dhruv.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @dhruvtkpatel.

—Staff writer Grace E. Yoon can be reached at grace.yoon@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @graceunkyoon.