PRINCETON FACES INQUIRY AFTER REMARKS ON RACISM

The Trump administration has opened an investigation into racial bias at Princeton University, saying that the school’s recent acknowledgment of racism on campus amounts to a “shocking” and “serious” admission of discrimination.

In a letter to the university on Wednesday, the U.S. Education Department said the school’s acknowledgment of racism conflicts with previous assurances that Princeton complies with federal antidiscrimination laws. It said that, in an open letter issued Sept. 2, the university’s president “admitted Princeton’s educational program is and for decades has been racist.”

The investigation is the Trump administration’s latest salvo against schools that seek to address racism. President Donald Trump said Thursday that U.S. schools and universities unfairly teach that America is a racist nation, an idea that he dismissed as “toxic propaganda.”

Trump blasted Princeton on Twitter in June over its decision to remove former President Woodrow Wilson’s name from the public policy school because of his segregationist views.

Princeton said Thursday that it will respond to the department and looks forward to showing that its actions have been consistent with federal law.

“It is unfortunate that the Department appears to believe that grappling honestly with the nation’s history and the current effects of systemic racism runs afoul of existing law,” the university said in a statement.