A Trump staffer contacted Harvard University promptly after the administration sent a letter of demands, acknowledging that it was erroneously dispatched.

The White House’s task force on anti-Semitism issued a letter last week calling for significant changes at the institution in Massachusetts.

A recent report by The New York Times revealed that the letter was unauthorized and should not have been sent, as per sources interviewed by the publication.

The content of the letter was authentic, sources said, but there was differing accounts inside the administration of how it should be handled. 

Some staffers believe it had been sent prematurely, while others thought it was to be circulated among task force members rather than sent to the school. 

The White House stands by the contents of the letter, even after the university issued a blistering response to it. 

The task force and Harvard had been in talks for two weeks when the letter came through, the school quickly concluded that the extreme demands meant a deal would be impossible. 

After Harvard issued a takedown, the administration upped the ante and froze $2.2 billion in federal funding and warned their tax-exemption status was hanging in the balance. 

In a letter issued last week from the White House ‘s task force on anti-Semitism, the administration called for broad government and leadership reforms

The task force and Harvard had been in talks for two weeks when the letter came through

‘The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,’ Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in a letter to the community on Monday.

‘No government – regardless of which party is in power – should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.’ 

May Mailman, White House senior policy strategist, told the outlet: ‘It was malpractice on the side of Harvard’s lawyers not to pick up the phone and call the members of the antisemitism task force who they had been talking to for weeks.

‘Instead, Harvard went on a victimhood campaign.’

Mailman contended that there was a possible way to continue discussions, adding: ‘The task force, and the entire Trump administration, is in lock step on ensuring that entities who receive taxpayer dollars are following all civil rights laws.’

Harvard meanwhile didn’t buy that the letter was sent in error, saying in a statement that the letter was ‘signed by three federal officials’ and on official letterhead. 

They said: ‘Recipients of such correspondence from the U.S. government — even when it contains sweeping demands that are astonishing in their overreach — do not question its authenticity or seriousness.

‘It remains unclear to us exactly what, among the government’s recent words and deeds, were mistakes or what the government actually meant to do and say. 

Harvard meanwhile didn’t buy that the letter was sent in error, Alan Garber the president of the school is seen here 

The letter called called for broad government and leadership reforms at the Massachusetts institute

‘But even if the letter was a mistake, the actions the government took this week have real-life consequences on students and employees and the standing of American higher education in the world.’

The letter called called for broad government and leadership reforms, a requirement that Harvard institute what it calls ‘merit-based’ admissions and hiring policies as well as conduct an audit of the study body, faculty and leadership on their views about diversity.

The demands, which are an update from an earlier letter, also call for a ban on face masks – which appeared to target pro-Palestinian protesters. 

They also pressure the university to stop recognizing or funding ‘any student group or club that endorses or promotes criminal activity, illegal violence, or illegal harassment.’

The demands on Harvard are part of a broader push of using taxpayer dollars to pressure major academic institutions to comply with President Donald Trump´s political agenda and to influence campus policy. 

The administration has also argued that universities allowed what it considered to be antisemitism to go unchecked at campus protests last year against Israel’s war in Gaza; the schools deny it.

The demand letter is similar to the one that prompted changes at Columbia University under the threat of billions of dollars in cuts.

The letter proved a shock to the school due to their lawyers going back and forth with Trump officials. 

According to the Times the lawyers for the administration said they would send the school a letter that laid out specifically what they wanted. 

When the letter arrived overnight, sent from general counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services Sean Keveney, the school was shocked at its contents, being far different from what was anticipated. 

Garber responded with a letter (pictured) detailing ongoing efforts on campus to address anti-Semitism, including the implementation of new disciplinary measures for policy violations, the launch of programs aimed at combating bias and the enhancement of safety and security measures 

The administration has also argued that universities allowed what it considered to be antisemitism to go unchecked at campus protests last year against Israel’s war in Gaza 

After that, lawyer Josh Gruenbaum, a top official at the General Services Administration, called one of Harvard’s lawyers. 

Sources said that he told the representatives that he had not authorized the sending of the letter. 

He then allegedly changed his tune, saying it was supposed to have been sent at some point but just not on that day. 

At the same time, a lawyer representing Columbia also received a call from Gruenbaum who had been in talks with the school. 

Source again said that he told the New York institution that the letter to Harvard was ‘unauthorized’. 

His assertions convinced Harvard that the letter had been sent in mistake, leaving them shocked that such an error could even be made. 

At that point, the university had already declared that they would be rebuffing the demands. The Trump administration did not withdraw it. 

Harvard is one of several Ivy League schools targeted in a pressure campaign by the administration, which also has paused federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania, Brown, and Princeton to force compliance with its agenda. 

As the administration continues to wage its war against the school, Kristi Noem also said this week that the school would lost its ability to enroll foreign students should it fail to comply with the demands.

Noem also announced on Wednesday the termination of two DHS grants totaling over $2.7 million to Harvard.

The former governor of South Dakota wrote a letter to Harvard demanding records on what she called the ‘illegal and violent activities’ of Harvard’s foreign student visa holders by April 30.

‘And if Harvard cannot verify it is in full compliance with its reporting requirements, the university will lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students,’ Noem said in a statement.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, a spokesperson for the Ivy League university said they’re not budging.

The school is also now pushing back against the freeze of over $2 billion in funding by turning to Wall Street to fill the gap. 

Harvard has already issued $750 million in taxable bonds, a move aimed at cushioning the blow of potential federal funding cuts, The Wall Street Journal reported.

President Trump has since responded to Harvard in a post shared to Truth Social, claiming the Ivy League is ‘supporting sickness’.