FTC drops suit against largest Christian university ending Biden admin 'lawfare' over deceiving students
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: The nation’s biggest Christian school just scored a major win against the establishment.
Grand Canyon University (GCU) announced last week that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under President Donald Trump voted unanimously to toss its lawsuit against the school, after years of what officials say was a political hit job from Joe Biden's administration.
The case that crumbled
The lawsuit dates back to 2023, when the FTC, under Joe Biden, went after GCU, its marketer Grand Canyon Education, Inc, and its president and CEO, Brian Mueller. The administration claimed the school misled students with deceptive ads, lied about being a nonprofit, and broke the law by making telemarketing calls.
In addition to marketing, Grand Canyon Education also handles recruiting and support services for the university.
But FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson admitted the case never found solid ground.
“This case, which we inherited from the previous administration, was filed nearly two years ago and has suffered losses in two motions to dismiss,” Ferguson said. “These losses are compounded by recent events: Grand Canyon secured a victory over the Department of Education in a related matter before the Ninth Circuit; the Department of Education rescinded a massive fine levied on related grounds; and the Internal Revenue Service confirmed that Grand Canyon University is properly claiming 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation designation.”
Biden’s agencies vs Grand Canyon University
Joe Biden's FTC had originally accused GCU of misleading prospective doctoral students about how long it would take to complete its accelerated program, marketing itself falsely as a nonprofit, and pestering prospective students who had asked not to be called.
At the same time, the Department of Education denied GCU’s nonprofit recognition. This was despite the Arizona Board for Private Postsecondary Education, the Internal Revenue Service, the State of Arizona, and the Higher Learning Commission having all approved it.
For Mueller, the latest FTC decision marked the end of what he called “years of coordinated lawfare by government officials under the Biden Administration against the largest Christian university in the country.”
Grand Canyon University president takes a victory lap
Bria Mueller praised the current FTC brass for reviewing the case fairly and recognizing that other agencies and courts had already sided with GCU on the same allegations.
“As we have stated from the beginning, not only were these accusations false, but the opposite is true,” Mueller said. “We go above and beyond what is required in our disclosures and are recognized as a leader in this area.”
He previously told Fox News that the school was being deliberately targeted.
“They threw everything they had at us for four years, and yet, despite every unjust accusation leveled against us, we have not only survived but have continued to thrive as a university,” Mueller said in a press release.
Department of Education earlier rescinded a $37.7M fine against Grand Canyon University
The FTC’s retreat follows another reversal earlier this year. In May, the Department of Education rescinded a whopping $37.7 million fine it had slapped on GCU over alleged deceptive practices.
Back in 2023, Mueller told The Christian Post he believed the sky-high fine was part of a bigger effort by the Biden administration to single out Christian institutions. He pointed to Liberty University, which was hit with a nearly identical $37 million fine for alleged Clery Act violations before settling for $14 million.
Mueller also compared the penalties to how the feds handled some of the biggest college scandals in history. He noted that the Department of Education’s fine against GCU and Liberty dwarfed the $2.4 million Penn State was hit with over Jerry Sandusky’s abuse of underage boys, and the $4.5 million Michigan State was fined for Larry Nassar’s sexual assaults of hundreds of young athletes.
