Harvard Petition Demands Scrutiny of Ex-Trump Officials

The online open letter calls for a new “system of accountability” to review top political appointees who served under Republican President Donald Trump and could come to campus as professors, fellows or speakers after Trump leaves office.

Those who failed to uphold traditional democratic principals should be disqualified, the petition says.

“A complete disregard for the truth is a defining feature of many decisions made by this administration,” according to the petition. “That alone should be enough to draw a line.”

It was unclear who created the petition or how many students have signed it. Harvard declined to comment on it.

Harvard and its Kennedy School of Government often hire outgoing politicians and political staffers to teach as professors or temporary fellows. The university has welcomed figures from both Democratic and Republican administrations in the past.

The school's Institute of Politics fellowships have attracted figures including Reince Priebus, Trump's former chief of staff, and Sarah Hurwitz, the former chief speechwriter for former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Harvard has faced blowback over some past fellows, including its selection of former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer in 2017. The decision drew opposition from more than 1,000 alumni who petitioned against it, but Spicer was allowed to serve as a fellow.

The new petition argues that Trump officials deserves more scrutiny than those tied to past presidents. It says Trump has trampled democratic norms, and that those who were complicit “have disqualified themselves from being hired by the school as faculty or fellows.”

Prominent Republicans blasted the petition as an attack on free speech and open discourse. Alan Dershowitz, a retired Harvard law professor who represented Trump in his impeachment trial, said he would offer free legal help to anyone who would be excluded by new policies.