Democratic strategist James Carville ripped Columbia University for agreeing to pay $221 million to President Trump’s administration to restore the school’s federal funding.
“You were talking about Paramount and how they collapsed. The biggest cavers in the world is Columbia University,” Carville said during a Thursday night appearance on Fox News’ “Jesse Waters Primetime.”
“I’ve never seen such cowards in my life. My hat is off to Harvard. At least they have guts,” Carville added.
Columbia University announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to a $200 million settlement with the federal government, which will be paid out over the next three years, and $21 million to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
“This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty,” acting Columbia University President Claire Shipman said.
“The settlement was carefully crafted to protect the values that define us and allow our essential research partnership with the federal government to get back on track,” Shipman added.
Columbia lost $400 million in federal funding earlier this year after the administration cut it off over a probe into antisemitism on the Ivy League’s campus. The school argues the deal will allow the institution to keep its academic independence.
President Trump lauded the deal.
“It’s a great honor to have been involved, and I want to thank and congratulate Secretary Linda McMahon, and all those who worked with us on this important deal. I also want to thank and commend Columbia University for agreeing to do what is right,” Trump wrote on social media. “I look forward to watching them have a great future in our Country, maybe greater than ever before!”
Columbia’s deal was criticized by some Democrats in Congress, including school alum Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.).
“[M]y alma mater has allowed a once highly-respected institution to succumb to the Trump Administration’s coercive and exploitative tactics,” the New York Democrat said. “Columbia has effectively waived the white flag of surrender in its battle at the heart of the Trump Administration’s war on higher education and academic freedom.”
