One of the two lawyers defending Harvard University against the Trump administration’s federal funding cuts is a familiar face for Marylanders.

Robert Hur served under Trump as the United States attorney for the District of Maryland from 2018 to 2021 and was known for aggressive prosecutions that brought down a mayor and a police chief. He went on to stir up controversy on both sides of the political aisle following a critical report on then-President Joe Biden. These days, he’s on the Board of Regents for the University System of Maryland.

Hur, a partner at the law firm King & Spalding, started representing Harvard this month after the federal government said it was freezing more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to the university.

Through a spokesperson for the University System of Maryland, Hur declined an interview request.

“Given that the Harvard case is now a legal matter, it is not advisable for him to discuss in the media,” said Michael Sandler. “He sends his regrets.”

Here’s what to know about Hur and his Maryland connections.

What is Hur known for in Maryland?

Hur’s career in Maryland took off in 2007, where he served as an assistant United States attorney in the state for seven years. He prosecuted drug trafficking, white-collar crimes and MS-13 gang violence, and set up a hotline for gang-related tips.

Hur served as the United States attorney for Maryland from 2018 to 2021, working under President Trump and resigning after President Joe Biden took office.

During that time, he oversaw the charging and conviction of former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who got jail time following a fraud scheme that involved her “Healthy Holly” children’s books.

Hur also charged and convicted former Baltimore Police Commissioner Darryl De Sousa with failing to file federal tax returns and former Baltimore Delegate Cheryl Glenn on wire fraud and bribery.

When did he rise to national prominence?

Hur was the principal associate deputy attorney general at the Department of Justice, a top aide to Rod Rosenstein when he was deputy attorney general. He was also a liaison to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

More recently, Hur made headlines for overseeing the Department of Justice’s investigation into President Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents during his time as vice president.

During that investigation, Hur called the former president a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” with “diminished capacities.” Hur faced backlash from both sides of the political aisle after his report was released.

What does Hur do for the University System of Maryland?

Appointed to the University System of Maryland Board of Regents in 2021 by then-Governor Larry Hogan. Regents oversee and guide higher education policy for the 12 institutions in the system. They also appoint university chancellors and presidents, and approve tuition increases for students.

Hur sits on the regents’ audit, governance and compensation, and research and economic development committees.

What is he tasked to do for Harvard University?

Harvard filed a lawsuit this week against the federal government over the Trump administration’s extreme demands for the elite university to retain its federal funding.

Those included reporting any international students accused of misconduct to the federal government and appointing an outside overseer to ensure that academic departments were “viewpoint diverse.”

Hur, a registered Republican who graduated from Harvard in 1995, is one of the two attorneys representing the Ivy League university in the suit.

The lawsuit accuses the government of unleashing sweeping attacks against the university as “leverage to gain control of academic decision-making at Harvard.”

Hur and the Harvard legal team argue that “the government’s attempt to coerce and control Harvard disregards the fundamental First Amendment principles which safeguard Harvard’s ‘academic freedom.’”

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