The Trump organization terminated its legal counsel on Thursday to advocate for Harvard, which is seen as an opponent of the Trump administration, amid the ongoing initiative against elite educational institutions.
This action follows President Trump’s criticisms of Harvard in a social media update on Thursday, where he remarked on Harvard’s association with attorney William Burke.
The president instructed his sons, who currently oversee the Trump organization, to promptly dismiss their legal representatives.
“Harvard poses a danger to democracy and should be compelled to resign or be removed, along with my lawyers, who should therefore resign at once. They aren’t that skilled,” Trump stated in a message regarding the True Society.
Shortly after his message, Trump’s organization let Burg go.
“I would view it as a conflict and choose to go in a different direction,” Eric Trump mentioned in a statement received by the Hill.
Harvard filed a lawsuit against the administration for misappropriating $2.2 billion in funding after it resisted Trump’s requests.
Trump is also aiming to challenge Harvard’s tax-exempt status, and his Department of Homeland Security is threatening to revoke the institution’s ability to enroll students from abroad.
His critical posts about the university followed President Alan Gerber’s appearance on NBC News, during which he stated he would “not yield on specific issues.”
“We safeguard what I believe is a critical pillar of the American economy and lifestyle: our universities,” Gerber asserted.
Lexi Lonas Cochran and Brett Samuels contributed.
