Exclusive: US civil rights agency opens sweeping antisemitism probe

Source: Reuters

October 6, 2025 11:31 AM EDT Updated 6 hours ago


WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - A Democrat-led civil rights watchdog agency opened a sweeping investigation into how the federal government has responded to allegations of antisemitism on college campuses, a review that could bring a rare dose of official scrutiny to the Trump administration’s confrontations with Columbia and other universities.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a bipartisan commission tasked with monitoring civil rights violations across the country and in government, has already rankled Trump administration officials for having Democrat Rochelle Garza as chairwoman.

Now, with its wide-ranging requests for documents and communications between federal officials and the schools, seen by Reuters, the investigation has further riled administration officials and outside allies.

In addition to seeking a trove of documents from the schools, the commission is scheduled to hold public hearings in November with witnesses at the direction of its Democratic leaders, culminating in a report on its findings, due in about a year. The commission, which includes four Democrats, three Republicans and an Independent, unanimously voted to begin the investigation in January, days before Trump took office.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-civil-rights-agency-opens-sweeping-antisemitism-probe-2025-10-06/