What is Harvard hiding from federal investigators?

TLDR:

• Justice Department sues Harvard for refusing to share racial admissions data during civil rights probe
• DOJ official says refusal raises questions: “If Harvard has stopped discriminating, it should happily share the data”
• Harvard takes $686 million in federal funding but won’t comply with document requests
• Lawsuit comes three years after Supreme Court struck down Harvard’s race-based admissions as unconstitutional

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Friday accusing Harvard University of hiding admissions data and obstructing a federal civil rights investigation.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said her department launched a compliance probe to determine whether Harvard changed its practices after the Supreme Court struck down its race-based admissions policy three years ago. But Harvard won’t turn over the data investigators need.

“If Harvard has stopped discriminating, it should happily share the data necessary to prove it,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said.

The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Massachusetts, says Harvard has “thwarted the Department’s efforts to investigate potential discrimination” at every turn.

Harvard asked for an extension on the original deadline, then produced only some documents last May but never provided applicant-level information. After warning letters last fall and another extension, the school still hasn’t complied months later, DOJ said.

Ms. Bondi said Harvard’s refusal violates federal law. As a recipient of $686 million in taxpayer-funded research grants and contracts in 2024, Harvard must cooperate with compliance reviews.

The Washington Times sought comment from Harvard.

Read more:

• DOJ says Harvard is hiding racial admissions data