Justice Department Pushes Against Harvard Settlement

Criminal inquiry into student-group October 7 letter is an issue

An anti-Israel protest at Harvard Law School in October 2023. Photo: The Editors.

Justice Department official Leo Terrell, who chairs a multi-agency federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, is pushing President Trump for tougher terms in a draft settlement with Harvard University, Trump said.

One complicating factor is a federal criminal investigation into the October 7, 2023, letter signed by 34 Harvard student organizations. “We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence,” the letter said. “The coming days will require a firm stand against colonial retaliation.” Federal prosecutors have begun in recent months examining how the letter was generated so rapidly, the day of the Hamas-led terrorist attack against Israel. They are looking at possible ties between the student-group leaders and organizations with what a U.S senator and Harvard alumnus calls “ties to terrorism.”