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00:00You've been outspoken first earlier on in saying there's room for reform at Harvard. You've been outspoken on that. Then when this letter came in, you said it is clearly beyond the scope of the law, inappropriate, as you suggest. Now, it appears maybe it was mistake was a negotiating position. Let me ask you, from your point of view, do you think there's room for compromise here at this point? I think Harvard should carry through on a whole set of reform with respect to anti-Semitism, with respect to discipline of students, with respect to widening of perspective, with respect to ensuring compliance with the Supreme Court. Affirmative action, admissions, error order. Excuse me. Order. I think there is substantial need for Harvard to reform, and I think the government should recognize that and keep the regular flow of funding going when Harvard does move on reform. I think there's a risk on both sides. I want to make sure that Harvard does carry through with necessary reform. But gosh, we can't have the government ordering universities around in violation of all the processes that are prescribed by law. That's a really important point. It's Harvard, but it's not only Harvard. Now, Harvard has actually sued various agents of the US government on the grounds that you were suggesting actually recently that it was beyond the scope of the Constitution. How important is it for that case actually to make it through to a judgment for the sake of not just Harvard, but other universities? I think it's important that a precedent be set, whether that precedent is shared by a court or whether that precedent is set by the government backing off and moving to address its concerns, as previous administrations have in a lawful way, through communication, negotiation, prior notice, due process. The precedent can be set in multiple different ways, but this goes far beyond Harvard. This applies and is of relevance to universities across the country. And universities are one part of a broader point that the government is not allowed to selectively persecute its enemies. And what happens in universities is going to bear on what happens to law firms, is going to bear on what happens to companies, is going to bear on what happens to specific teachers and specific schools.

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Summers Says Harvard Needs Reform, Funding Freeze Inappropriate

Former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers says there is a substantial need for Harvard University to reform on "Wall Street Week." Harvard University is suing the US government for freezing billions of dollars in federal funding, claiming the government's demands for changes to governance, discipline and hiring policies are unconstitutional. (Source: Bloomberg)

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