Former DOJ Lawyer Alleges Government Improperly Targeted Ivy League Schools

The Trump administration improperly pressured civil rights attorneys to investigate allegations of antisemitism at Harvard, Columbia, and Brown universities, according to a former Justice Department lawyer. Haley Van Erem, a long-serving attorney in the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, claims that political leaders at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the DOJ pushed staff to issue negative findings against the three schools.

Van Erem's accusations are detailed in a whistleblower complaint made public by Rep. Jamie Raskin. The complaint states that senior officials at both departments deviated from standard investigative practices, which are designed to ensure due process, accuracy, and legal compliance. Attorneys faced compressed timelines that compromised their ability to ensure findings were justified and accurate, according to Van Erem's lawyers.

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Senior officials at DOJ and HHS departed from longstanding investigative practices designed to ensure due process, accuracy and legal compliance.

"For at least some of the investigations, there was little to no factual predicate justifying opening them," the complaint reads. "When they asked questions, raised legal concerns, or sought to document their objections, they were sometimes admonished and their concerns were often disregarded." The attorneys reasonably believed that certain enforcement outcomes had been predetermined before evidence was collected and evaluated.

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For at least some of the investigations, there was little to no factual predicate justifying opening them.

A Justice Department spokesperson denied the allegations, asserting that Van Erem was not involved in the specific university investigations. "And for all matters, the Department stands behind the integrity of these investigations," the spokesperson added. CBS News has reached out to HHS for comment.

The whistleblower complaint surfaces shortly after a federal judge dismissed the DOJ's lawsuit against Harvard. The lawsuit accused Harvard of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students. The judge ruled that the alleged instances of discrimination were "too isolated and episodic" to constitute federal civil rights violations. Brown and Columbia, unlike Harvard, settled with the federal government to resolve similar allegations and have their federal funding restored.

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While at the DOJ, Ms. Haley Van Erem did not work on university investigations. And for all matters, the Department stands behind the integrity of these investigations.