Trump administration took a U-turn in the Harvard University case, said the letter was sent by mistake; differences also surfaced:

Last Friday, on April 11, the Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard University. It mentioned stopping admission and curriculum as well as funding of the university. The Trump administration took this decision amid protests in the university. But a week later, the Trump administration admitted that an unauthorized letter was sent to Harvard University by mistake.

Sean Kaveney sent the letter

A Trump administration official contacted Harvard and said the letter from the White House task force on anti-Semitism should not have been sent. Two other officials said it was unauthorized. Three others said the letter was sent to Harvard University by Sean Kaveney, the acting attorney general of the Department of Health and Human Services, who is also a member of the anti-Semitism task force.

Administration sticks to the letter

A senior White House official said the administration stands by the letter. They blamed Harvard for not engaging. "Harvard's lawyers behaved badly. They did not pick up the phone and did not talk to members of the anti-Semitism task force. Now Harvard is running a campaign to portray itself as a victim," said Mae Mellman, a senior White House policy strategist.

letter sent ahead of time

According to the New York Times report, the reason behind sending the letter is not yet clear. At the same time, three people have confirmed that the contents of the letter were authentic. However, there is controversy within the Trump administration about how it was mishandled. Some White House officials believed that the letter was sent prematurely.