BREAKING: On Friday, the federal government issued new demands of Harvard University. The university's lawyers just responded: back off. - ThreadSky

nikobowie.bsky.social • 61 days ago

BREAKING: On Friday, the federal government issued new demands of Harvard University. The university's lawyers just responded: back off.

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Comments

profmarylewis.bsky.social•61 days ago

Great news that people like @nikobowie.bsky.social have contributed to with their steadfast advocacy. Grateful for colleagues like Niko, @kirstenweld.bsky.social @ryanenos.bsky.social @stevelevitsky.bsky.social @andrewcrespo.bsky.social and more.

rciolek.bsky.social•61 days ago

I am proud of them and hope they continue to stand firm.

granuailynn.bsky.social•61 days ago

Pathetic other institutions like Columbia were to craven or cowardly to do exactly this

Kudos, Harvard

granuailynn.bsky.social•61 days ago

grr....*too🤦

feralcat.bsky.social•61 days ago

This is heartening news.

prairiecrab.bsky.social•61 days ago

Wait…..what???

inafume.bsky.social•61 days ago

LOL, cosigned by Trump's flunkie Hur who tried to paint the picture of an incompetent Biden.

granuailynn.bsky.social•61 days ago

jkes805.bsky.social•61 days ago

I really want to see someone just send back “Nuts” like it’s 1944 and we are kicking fascist’s asses all over the world.

alainleibman.bsky.social•61 days ago

Too bad @columbiauniversity.bsky.social didn’t have the balls to do the same.

qm61.bsky.social•60 days ago

This response in a large part validates the criticism of Harvard by the administration by accepting significant change has been required and undertaken. It is a foolish approach.

The sole argument to be made is the independence of higher learning whilst adhering to the sound legal principles
/1

qm61.bsky.social•60 days ago

There appears to be a problem understanding that negotiation and reason is not an option with this administration. They speak in extremes and without subtlety. The response should have been succinct, minimal and direct.

carlestgna.bsky.social•61 days ago

📌

bearpondboy.bsky.social•61 days ago

🫡✊

alan2210.bsky.social•61 days ago

stlollie.bsky.social•61 days ago

Given that Harvard is literally older than America itself, this is the appropriate response.

fourstarr.bsky.social•61 days ago

Such a good point, damn near 150 years older.

napoleon-the-pig.bsky.social•61 days ago

Columbia was literally started pursuant to a direct royal charter from the King of England.

jonnyv.bsky.social•61 days ago

And they still yearn to be ruled by a king

napoleon-the-pig.bsky.social•61 days ago

Then they can change their name back to their original name, Kings College (seriously). After the Revolution they had a problem in that that was their name and they were formed and operating under a direct royal charter from a king that no longer of king of NYC, so were no longer legal.

napoleon-the-pig.bsky.social•61 days ago

But they worked at a deal with the NY authorities and picked a new name more fitting of the new nation, and they let them charter in NY under that new name.

dgrillo.bsky.social•61 days ago

So is Columbia and they folded like a lawn chair.

exgnome.bsky.social•61 days ago

Columbia “folded” because they wanted the same things as Trump.

blacknihilist21.bsky.social•61 days ago

Exactly. They even said so themselves.

burningbird.net•61 days ago

This was beautiful.

Thank you Harvard! Thank you!

profmsinha.bsky.social•61 days ago

Glad they found their spine finally!

eliza-upstairs.bsky.social•61 days ago

Now would be a really good time for other Universities/colleges to step up. If chaos and a blitz is what the government wants to throw at Universities to instill fear, then going ten toes down and turning the tide and slapping the gov’t with a ton of lawsuits is the baller move.

lsstern.bsky.social•61 days ago

awesome

louisevans.bsky.social•61 days ago

lmao the two counsel of record here are William A. Burck (the Trump 2025 outside ethics counsel and Steve Bannon's old lawyer) and Robert K. Hur (Trump's USA for Maryland and Special Counsel investigating Biden's classified documents).

bigsis1.bsky.social•61 days ago

Need more of this!

noyokaru.bsky.social•60 days ago

Please Share! https://community.alumni.harvard.edu/give/16040850

larry.earth•61 days ago

An attorney named Robert Hur signed that letter. Is that the same Robert Hur who was appointed by Trump and then investigated Biden's alleged mishandling of classified documents and included gratuitous information about Biden's age and mental state in his report?

hermioneishere.bsky.social•61 days ago

Yes. Yes, it is.

larry.earth•61 days ago

@esqueer.net noticed too.

dkueper.bsky.social•61 days ago

Proud to be a Harvard alum today!

jaysartcorner.bsky.social•61 days ago

Look how easy that is, Columbia.

alexcharles.bsky.social•61 days ago

Harvard sent a lawyers letter to the government rejecting their terms. It was co-signed by lawyer Robert Hur who was a Trump appointed AG and also was special counsel investigating Biden documents case.

Small world!!

billabetimelord.bsky.social•61 days ago

Now DOJ will have to break Harvard. Not in favor, BTW. But the masculine energy crowd can't hear "no" or they'll bawl like little masculine babies.

ironstone.bsky.social•60 days ago

Harvard is an institution older that these threats. Older than Maga, and older that your civil war. They need to stand up and proud for your principles. If they fold, this is a sign all could be lost.

starlightwishes.bsky.social•61 days ago

Harvard and the rest need to learn. There is no appeasing monsters.

robairone.bsky.social•61 days ago

- All the law firms that are being attacked from the Trump-Musk regime’s autocratic / oligarchical aspirations, should understand that capitulation, appeasement and bending the knee only tells the sociopaths that they should continue to pummel them for their weakness — The sociopaths only hear…

mister-hangman.bsky.social•57 days ago

Wanna see big dick parlance? This is big dick parlance.

auntie-germaine.bsky.social•61 days ago

you might want to take notes @columbiauniversity.bsky.social @barnardcollege.bsky.social

auntie-germaine.bsky.social•61 days ago

Good

brooktroutcafe.bsky.social•61 days ago

Love it.

mycams.bsky.social•61 days ago

Extra points to the first lawyer to cite Pressdam vs Arquell!

alissa914.bsky.social•57 days ago

Trump and his horrible lawyers are going after Harvard lawyers? Oh this is going to be good.

scrispin.bsky.social•61 days ago

@richardprimus.bsky.social Add Quinn Emanuel and King& Spalding to your list.

jimbuzbee.bsky.social•61 days ago

Bravo - If only all universities and big law firms would push back as well.

friendpanda.bsky.social•61 days ago

Good.

michaelnamikas.bsky.social•61 days ago

@columbiauniversity.bsky.social

annie-bodi.bsky.social•57 days ago

I really would like to see a tersely worded response.

Some thing like.....

"Blow it out your ass. See you in Court."

ceroespada.bsky.social•61 days ago

You see this @columbiauniversity.bsky.social -- this is the only appropriate response

toontownelizabeth.bsky.social•61 days ago

Yup @columbiauniversity.bsky.social you shouldn't have capitulated. People are watching and judging and in the end, you will lose more than you think you gained.

ranylt.bsky.social•61 days ago

This. Knee-benders are short-term thinkers.

stonedalgo.algo.xyz•61 days ago

they would be offended if they knew what shame was

kdorg.bsky.social•61 days ago

📌 #rightsfight

2020willbelit.bsky.social•61 days ago

lol - in other words, I’ll see you in court motherfuckers 🤭👏👏

katie-jerath.bsky.social•57 days ago

This just makes me so happy to read.

pcollirigger.bsky.social•61 days ago

Kudos to TWO law firms stepping up to put their names on this document.

mattbirnbaum.bsky.social•61 days ago

I have no affinity with Harvard, but it IS good to have the most powerful and wealthy educational institution in the country on the right side.

Also, Harvard brains vs MAGA brains is really not a fair fight.

stevenerick1976.bsky.social•61 days ago

Hitting at Harvard was an error. The top brains with the top money. They will crush him.

desqatarian.bsky.social•61 days ago

📌 file away in “growing a 🍐”

robi-cedilnik.bsky.social•60 days ago

Fuck off would be more appropriate than back off.

waynefryback.bsky.social•61 days ago

Same thing applies that my mom always told me:

You can demand in one hand, and you can shit in the other one. Guess which hand fills up faster?

karenswilcoxphd.bsky.social•61 days ago

Woot!

itsmrfungible.bsky.social•61 days ago

Bout fuckin time

harrybwilson.bsky.social•61 days ago

The letter is signed by Bill Burck, who represented Paul, Weiss in its capitulation to Trump's unconstitutional EO.

qm61.bsky.social•60 days ago

Yep and he’ll be doing the same with Harvard based upon the form and tone of this response

gbenowitz.bsky.social•61 days ago

This is how it's done. Wasn't so hard, was it?

katpeacelove2025.bsky.social•61 days ago

Correct

unclewally3.bsky.social•60 days ago

Doesn’t all evidence suggest there’s a fundamental trait of President Trump to destroy that from which he feels excluded? With respect to education, intelligence and morality isn’t this especially so?

meredithobrien.bsky.social•61 days ago

Thank you Harvard. Courage is contagious.

invictahog.bsky.social•61 days ago

Good for Garber. I was thinking his initial e-mail was just a by the book response to the charge of anti-semitism. Going to be interesting to see if all universities can band together around this.

misterblue242.bsky.social•61 days ago

As an alum, I was really disappointed with the initial letter but was told it was going to set up this. Delivered!

invictahog.bsky.social•61 days ago

My first read was disappointment but then I read it again and realized it really had to be like that. Respond to antisemitism without diluting it. If it's about that, here's the steps we're taking. It's clearly not (just) about that so see you in court.

qm61.bsky.social•60 days ago

No you were right on the first reading. The letter is a disappointment

misterblue242.bsky.social•61 days ago

Exactly

sydneyblom.bsky.social•61 days ago

how do lawyers, colleges etc think this ends for them? no rule of law no lawyers, an admin hell bent on silencing on opposing voices no education.

academics are leaving, brain drain will happen. No doctors, scientists, teachers etc.

By not standing up these institutions will be their own demise.

maoistkurtangle.bsky.social•61 days ago

Way too late for this, but still better than many of their peer institutions.

sunblade1.bsky.social•61 days ago

Fantastic, now will other ivy leagues follow this path?

We shall see.

politicsesq.bsky.social•61 days ago

The lawyers who signed the fascist intimidation letter addressed to Harvard should be referred for disciplinary proceedings to the relevant state bars. This is purely unconstitutional behavior violating every tenet of ethics to which every lawyer is bound.

ddling.bsky.social•61 days ago

You spelled fuck wrong

halfcourtshot.bsky.social•61 days ago

These universities need to join together and sue. Separate they have no chance. United? Different story.

southernupstategal.bsky.social•61 days ago

Robert Hur??!!

marebears.bsky.social•61 days ago

Crazy, right?

kevinharlow.bsky.social•61 days ago

Who says the universe doesn't have a sense of humor?

smokeygeo.bsky.social•61 days ago

Robert Hur is a very good choice here

jheaton416.bsky.social•61 days ago

Thanks for adding alt text. Here's a suggestion for the future: if one image contains more characters than will fit in the alt text, but the second has many fewer characters, you can add what didn't fit from the first one to the second one.

bluefoxmoon.bsky.social•61 days ago

YES!! Go Harvard! 🎉✨

fantasos.bsky.social•61 days ago

kiraleigh.bsky.social•61 days ago

We love to see it 👏

dudadius.bsky.social•61 days ago

YES

misterenterprise.bsky.social•61 days ago

Harvard learning from Costco to not cave to fascist demands.

rfctabs.bsky.social•61 days ago

Superb letter telling #MangoMussolini where to get off.

Bravo! 👏👏👏

girlybojon.bsky.social•61 days ago

Harvard has an endowment of over $50b.

I think they'll be okay.

betsy-cazden.bsky.social•61 days ago

Most endowment money is restricted and can't be tapped for any old thing the University wants, such as replacing Federal research grants to faculty. It will hurt, and require reconfiguring the budget. That's why it's especially honorable to take a clear "Nope" position anyway.

finn-cak.bsky.social•61 days ago

Correct, endowment funds are restricted in their use.

girlybojon.bsky.social•61 days ago

No, but returns from investments can be used.

prizscisurf.bsky.social•61 days ago

@columbiauniversity.bsky.social Take note! Reverse course and do not kowtow to the administration's unconstitutional demands. Defy your board, if you must, to defend your independence.
"Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government."

meehawl.com•61 days ago

Issuing correction to a previous correction on a previous post of mine, regarding the privileged university HARVARD. Sometimes you do, under some circumstances, "gotta hand it to them"

meehawl.com•23 days ago

Beginning to think that the elderly convicted felon, fraudster, and adjudicated rapist may not have been sincere when he spoke against "weaponization" of the Federal government against private companies and people.

https://archive.ph/Cerxd

meehawl.com•23 days ago

Update, DHS says it can now round up and put 6,800 Harvard students into gulags if they do not immediately "transfer" or leave the country.

"Existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status."

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/05/22/harvard-university-loses-student-and-exchange-visitor-program-certification-pro

https://bsky.app/profile/bungdan.bsky.social/post/3lprudnxdqs2i

juliecheckoway.bsky.social•61 days ago

Thank you, Harvard!

enniusredloeb.bsky.social•61 days ago

Well said! It's about time more people showed some backbone in the US and stood up to the present incumbant of the White House.

dmbmeg.bsky.social•61 days ago

sftoboston.bsky.social•61 days ago

Your move @columbiauniversity.bsky.social

waltermulder.bsky.social•61 days ago

Blackmailing

debra.bsky.social•61 days ago

Harvard has an endowment that can fund the world. They can afford to ignore the government. And they should. This is a literal put your money where your mouth is situation.

mochalives.medsky.social•61 days ago

DOJ will now come after King and Spaulding

robbieusanl.bsky.social•61 days ago

I kinda assume King. and Spaulding assumed this beforehand

prospero53.bsky.social•61 days ago

Helps to have deep pockets

bigworker.bsky.social•61 days ago

How do they not realize that it's better to do 100% resistance immediately?

caliwash83.bsky.social•61 days ago

I also like how they defended other private universities in their letter, which I also took as a subtle dig at Columbia for folding like a bunch of fucking cowards.

cowgirl52.bsky.social•61 days ago

Really? Back off? How about fuck off you stupid redneck nazis?

betsy-cazden.bsky.social•61 days ago

Lawyers understand that this is the way lawyers say it -- means the same thing, but in very polite language, with citations.

cowgirl52.bsky.social•61 days ago

Well, I'm NO longer polite!

chordtone.bsky.social•61 days ago

Backoff is legalese for go fuck yourselves!

will.technology•61 days ago

Harvard is being representated by a lawyer who was recently hired to advise the Trump Organization on, of all things, conflicts of interest?

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trumps-company-taps-ex-bannon-lawyer-outside-ethics-advisor-2025-01-10/

suemaclaren.bsky.social•61 days ago

As a neighbor of Harvard, I’m so grateful they are standing up and leveraging their influence.

essin.bsky.social•61 days ago

The federal government's response will be to fire people.

arghavansallesmd.medsky.social•60 days ago

📌

mkholland.bsky.social•61 days ago

Proud to be a Harvard alum today. Thank you, President Garber.

melanietuttle.bsky.social•61 days ago

Why should any state-supported university be taken over by the federal government? Why limit the concern to “private” universities? And, given the amount of government funding these private universities receive, the term “private” is a bit quaint.

sheologian.bsky.social•61 days ago

You’re on your neighborhood’s HOA board, aren’t you

petewestpark.bsky.social•61 days ago

It's astonishing that this is your takeaway from this letter.

annmartin1947.bsky.social•61 days ago

Harvard, like many not-for-profit private colleges and universities, have a governing board independent from the state or federal government. Dartmouth College v Woodward (1819), held that private colleges were not subject to govt control, even though they receive federal grants.

daliaqz.bsky.social•61 days ago

Someone shd make sure @columbiauniversity.bsky.social learns how to fight for independence instead bending the knee to Trump

trychick.bsky.social•61 days ago

Good!

mom2yellowlabs.bsky.social•61 days ago

Bravo 👏🏻

conatonc.bsky.social•61 days ago

Oh, are some of these universities starting to get it? There’s no “enough capitulation and they’ll leave us alone” with these people.

Giving in results are: (1) Get taken over like Florida New College, (2) Become a physical campus for Prager U, or (3) Let them destroy you entirely.

barbmas.bsky.social•61 days ago

Outstanding!! A model for other universities.

josephcw.bsky.social•61 days ago

Finally a rich university actually digging it's heels in

steve-scooby.bsky.social•57 days ago

So the polite legal way of saying "Get bent" 😂

420attychicago.bsky.social•61 days ago

The mere fact that there was no sign off, no "best regards" really shows how much of a legal fuck you this is.

theaporkalypse.bsky.social•61 days ago

It must be nice to be a private university in a blue state with a quadrillion dollar endowment.

These fools down here in Texas are destroying the public universities.

#UTAustin

rburnson.bsky.social•61 days ago

Headline: Harvard stands up to Trump

ruthmensch.bsky.social•61 days ago

know faculty advocacy helped get them here, thanks prof

evahyldgaard.bsky.social•61 days ago

👏👏👏

alflasher.bsky.social•60 days ago

To Northwestern's "lawyers" - "I can't hear you . . . !"

fdsj.bsky.social•61 days ago

Any guesses on what time today the Quinn Emanuel Executive Order drops?

patrickrcrotty.bsky.social•61 days ago

Good on Harvard for doing the brave and right thing.

And now, no other college or university in the United States has any excuse to bend the knee.

stevezorowitz.bsky.social•61 days ago

Note: "Robert Hur"

yoyomendez.bsky.social•61 days ago

Yup.

kevinharlow.bsky.social•61 days ago

Imagine being fully in the tank for Trump and writing a badly slanted hack special counsel report on Biden, peacing out from your government job the next day, then winding up in private practice where you find yourself defending clients against...Trump 😆

Perfection. No notes.

wirelessw.bsky.social•61 days ago

Ben's less athletic cousin?

novasolis.bsky.social•61 days ago

This letter is legalese for “Fuck off”. I love it.

nikobowie.bsky.social•61 days ago

An email from Harvard University President Alan Garber to the university community, titled "The Promise of American Higher Education," links to the DOJ's letter and Harvard's response:

https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/04/Letter-Sent-to-Harvard-2025-04-11.pdf

https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/04/Harvard-Response-2025-04-14.pdf

suddenlygarmo.bsky.social•61 days ago

another Pritzker lining up to scrap, let's go

meredithobrien.bsky.social•61 days ago

Thank you Alan Garber.

ghirtle.bsky.social•61 days ago

And Columbia couldn't tell Dump go fuck himself as politely or as firmly...

mckatt.bsky.social•61 days ago

It's even sadder when you consider that Columbia has a $14.5 Billion endowment. They didn't need to capitulate.

mjohnso27.bsky.social•61 days ago

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/4/15/harvard-denies-trump-demands/

albinodino.bsky.social•61 days ago

Thanks for putting all these pieces of the story in one place.

From the third sentence of the government's letter, I can tell it's absolute amateur hour over there, and I'm not even a lawyer

patrickneithard.bsky.social•61 days ago

📌

geoffhiggins.bsky.social•61 days ago

Strong stance on antisemitism. Where are they on anti-genocide?

#FreePalestine

nikobowie.bsky.social•61 days ago

The Harvard faculty chapter of the AAUP filed a lawsuit on Friday to block the federal government's unlawful extortion of universities. I'm very grateful to see Harvard's leadership take a similar stance.