Sen. Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, on Sunday condemned what he described as an “outrageous” pressure campaign by the Trump administration amid a federal investigation into the University of Virginia, which led to the resignation of its president, Jim Ryan.
“This is the most outrageous action, I think, this crowd has taken on education,” Warner told “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” “We have great public universities in Virginia. We have a very strong governance system, where we have an independent board of visitors appointed by the Governor. Jim Ryan had done a very good job; just completed a major capital campaign.”
Ryan announced Friday that he would step down at the end of the next academic year. Sources familiar with the matter told CBS News that his resignation was submitted to resolve Trump administration demands related to a federal investigation into the school’s efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusions.
“For him to be threatened, and literally, there was indication that they received the letter that if he didn’t resign on a day last week, by five o’clock, all these cuts would take place,” Warner said Sunday.
When asked if the threat was explicit, Warner said, “It was that explicit.”
Warner described the pressure as personal rather than policy-driven.
“You’re shocked it’s coming- personal attacks are coming out of this administration?” he asked. “This federal D.O.E. and Department of Justice should get their nose out of University of Virginia. They are doing damage to our flagship university. And if they can do it here, they’ll do it elsewhere.”
In his resignation letter, Ryan warned of the potential risks of resisting the administration’s demands. “Hundreds of employees would lose jobs, researchers would lose funding, and hundreds of students could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld,” Ryan wrote.
His resignation came amid an investigation that targeted DEI efforts across multiple universities, with UVA’s president coming under intense scrutiny from the Department of Education and Department of Justice, according to CBS News reporting.
Warner acknowledged the difficult choice Ryan faced.
“At the end of the day, I understand that, with so many things at stake, that the idea, and I think Jim Ryan laid it out, that he was going to make his personal job more important than these cuts. But, boy, that shouldn’t have been the choice.”
Warner also warned that other public universities could face similar scrutiny.
The DOJ is also probing the University of California system’s hiring practices, investigating whether efforts to boost faculty diversity violate federal anti-discrimination laws.
“They want to take on public universities the way they have now taken on the Ivies,” Warner said. “This is going to hurt our universities. Chase away world-class talent. And frankly, if we don’t have some level of academic freedom, then what kind of country are we?”
Most prominent among the Ivy League schools targeted by the Trump administration has been Harvard University. IIn June, the Trump administration moved to block new international students from enrolling at Harvard, accusing the university of failing to report disciplinary records and calling it “no longer a trustworthy steward” of international programs. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order and later extended it, describing the administration’s actions as unconstitutional retaliation.
The administration also revoked Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, froze research funding, and pressed the university on DEI policies and campus protests. Harvard has sued, calling the actions politically motivated and a threat to academic freedom.
