Democrat-Led Civil Rights Commission Opens Probe Into Trump Administration’s Handling of Campus Antisemitism Claims

WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews) — A federal civil rights watchdog led by Democrats has launched a sweeping investigation into how the U.S. government has handled allegations of antisemitism on college campuses — including actions taken by the Trump administration against Columbia University and other schools.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, an independent bipartisan body that monitors civil rights violations, is seeking documents and communications between universities and federal agencies, according to materials reviewed by Reuters. The review has angered Trump administration officials already at odds with the commission’s Democratic chairwoman, Rochelle Garza.

The panel, made up of four Democrats, three Republicans, and one Independent, unanimously voted in January—just before Trump took office—to begin the inquiry. It will examine federal responses to campus antisemitism dating back to the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, under the Biden administration, and will include Trump’s subsequent actions.

Public hearings are scheduled for November, with a final report expected within a year.

Soon after taking office, President Trump signed an executive order targeting antisemitism broadly, using it to justify federal investigations into certain student protests and threatening to withhold billions in funding from universities accused of failing to curb antisemitic incidents. Critics say the administration’s tactics undermined the independence of higher education.

The commission’s probe will also look into efforts by the Trump administration to exert control over the body itself. White House officials confirmed that Trump attempted to replace Garza earlier this year with longtime Republican commissioner Peter Kirsanow — a move the commission blocked.

A White House official accused the panel’s members of obstructing the president’s agenda, saying they have “prevented the president’s agenda from being implemented.”

The commission, created by the 1957 Civil Rights Act, operates independently of both Congress and the White House. Its members serve six-year terms, with four appointed by Congress and four by the president.

Formal information requests, known as interrogatories, have been sent to about a dozen universities, including Columbia and the University of Minnesota. Columbia declined to comment, and Minnesota did not respond to multiple requests.

While the probe originated from a congressional mandate to review the federal government’s response to campus antisemitism, Democratic commissioner Mondaire Jones said the review is “separate and apart” from the Trump administration’s own efforts.

Some former Trump officials have criticized the inquiry as politically motivated. Kendra Wharton, a former senior member of Trump’s legal defense team, said the commission is “trying to gather confidential communications between universities and the Department of Justice and the Department of Education,” calling the move “unprecedented.”

The investigation comes as Trump’s team has moved to reshape federal civil rights offices, disbanding the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and shifting the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division toward conservative priorities such as gun rights and opposition to transgender policies. Nearly 400 staff have left the division since January.

Justice Department and Education Department spokespeople said they could not comment due to the ongoing government shutdown, which limits responses to non-essential matters.

Eve Hill, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said the commission’s independence is vital to ensuring accountability.

“It allows them to be brave in calling out negative impacts of federal policies,” Hill said. “You just can’t do that if you’re politically tied to an administration.”