Trump Organization fires lawyer over Harvard ties
The Trump Organization fired a legal adviser Thursday because he also represents Harvard University, an adversary of the Trump administration in its ongoing crackdown on elite schools.
The move comes after President Trump railed against Harvard in a social media post Thursday and commented on the connection between Harvard and the attorney, William Burck.
The president urged his sons, who now run the Trump Organization, to fire the attorney immediately.
“Harvard is a threat to Democracy, with a lawyer, who represents me, who should therefore be forced to resign, immediately, or be fired. He’s not that good, anyway, and I hope that my very big and beautiful company, now run by my sons, gets rid of him ASAP!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Shortly after the post, the Trump Organization fired Burck.
“I view it as a conflict and I will be moving in a different direction,” Eric Trump said in a statement obtained by The Hill.
Harvard sued the administration for taking away $2.2 billion in funding after it refused to bow to Trump’s demands, which included changes to its hiring and admission practices, as well as eliminating its diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Trump has also sought to target Harvard’s tax-exempt status, and his Department of Homeland Security has threatened to eliminate the school's ability to enroll international students.
His post denouncing the school came after its president, Alan Garber, gave an interview to NBC News in which he said he “will not compromise on certain issues.”
“We are defending what I believe is one of the most important lynchpins of the American economy and way of life: our universities,” Garber said.
Lexi Lonas Cochran and Brett Samuels contributed.