US Justice Department denies whistleblower claims on anti-Semitism probes

A former Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyer, Haley Van Erem, has filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that the Trump administration's investigations into Ivy League schools for alleged anti-Semitism were predetermined and politically motivated. Van Erem claims these investigations, conducted by a special task force, lacked evidence of legal wrongdoing but pushed for multimillion-dollar settlements. The DOJ has disputed her claims, stating Van Erem did not work on these university investigations and asserting the integrity of their probes. Representative Jamie Raskin has launched an investigation into these allegations, suggesting the probes were manipulated to target universities and punish protected speech. Both Brown and Columbia universities settled with the administration, despite no formal admission of misconduct.

A former Justice Department lawyer has alleged that a Trump administration task force investigating antisemitism at Ivy League universities pushed for settlements despite incomplete or flawed investigations. The whistleblower complaint claims these probes were politically motivated and designed to pressure schools into agreements, with outcomes predetermined regardless of evidence. The task force, launched in February 2025, allegedly disregarded legal and constitutional procedures. Investigations into Brown, Harvard, and Columbia universities are cited, with allegations that Brown faced settlement demands despite a lack of evidence for violations. Representative Jamie Raskin has also criticized these investigations as politically motivated efforts to harass academics and strip institutions of funding.