George Mason University violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by illegally using diversity, equity and inclusion practices, the Department of Education announced Friday.

The department's Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into the institution's hiring and promotion practices last month following a complaint filed by several of its professors who claimed preferential treatment was given to prospective and current faculty members from "underrepresented groups" to advance "anti-racism."

The complaint accused George Mason President Gregory Washington of issuing guidance that prioritized diversity initiatives over qualifications.

"In 2020, University President Gregory Washington called for expunging the so-called ‘racist vestiges’ from GMU’s campus," Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education Craig Trainor said in a statement. "Without a hint of self awareness, President Washington then waged a university-wide campaign to implement unlawful DEI policies that intentionally discriminate on the basis of race. You can't make this up."

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"Despite this unfortunate chapter in Mason's history, the University now has the opportunity to come into compliance with federal civil rights laws by entering into a Resolution Agreement with the Office for Civil Rights," he continued. "In the last seven months, this much is clear: The Trump-McMahon Department of Education will not allow racially exclusionary practices—which violate the Civil Rights Act, the Equal Protection Clause, and Supreme Court precedent—to continue corrupting our nation’s educational institutions."

The Office for Civil Rights proposed a possible resolution to the university's president that includes six conditions to which the institution must agree. The university must agree to the conditions within the next 10 days to resolve the matter.

The proposed resolution would require the university to send a statement to students and faculty committing to comply with Title VI in its recruitment, hiring, promotion and tenure decisions, and the statement should include a personal apology from the university's president for "promoting unlawful discriminatory practices."

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The statement must also be displayed prominently on the university's website and any contrary statements would have to be removed, according to the proposed resolution.

The university would need to agree to revise any policies and documents used in its recruitment, hiring, promotion and tenure process and must remove any provisions that require or encourage the use of race as a factor in these practices.

The federal government also said George Mason must conduct annual training for anyone involved in these practices to affirm that it would not give preferences based on race.

Additionally, the institution must make records demonstrating compliance with the agreement available to the government upon request.

George Mason's failure to agree to the proposed resolution could lead to a loss in federal funds.

The Trump administration has already pulled funding from several universities, including Harvard, Columbia and the University of California, Los Angeles, over discrimination accusations and their handling of alleged antisemitism on campus.

Fox News Digital reached out to George Mason for comment.

Independent New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo on Friday blasted his Democratic socialist opponent Zohran Mamdani’s "anti-business, anti-corporate" positions on "The Story." 

"[Mamdani’s] positions just will not work in New York," Cuomo told Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum. "If there’s one city where you can’t have a socialist mayor, it’s New York City."

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The former Democratic governor’s comments come as Mamdani leads the city’s mayoral race by nearly 20 points, at 44%, according to a Siena College Poll. Cuomo currently sits as the runner-up over Mamdani’s other opponents at 25%. 

Cuomo gave no indication of whether he would drop out of the race, while New York City Mayor Eric Adams criticized him for putting "dangerous laws on the books that hurt us, from cannabis to bail reform to 15,000 nursing home deaths." 

Instead, Cuomo predicted Mamdani’s appeal is going to "drop dramatically."

"I don’t think the public even knows who the assemblyman is, what he represents, what his positions are," Cuomo argued. "So I think the more they find out about him, the less they’re going to like him, and his appeal is going to drop dramatically." 

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Cuomo went on to outline what makes him "more competitive" with Republicans and Independents amid what he calls an "internal debate" in the Democratic Party.

"You can’t have an anti-business, anti-corporate mayor of New York City. We’re nothing without business and corporations, et cetera. It’s why people came here. It’s what made New York New York," Cuomo said. 

He continued, "I believe in law and order. Zohran is anti-police. I believe in capitalism; Zohran is a socialist, and I think that will make me more competitive with the Republicans and Independents."

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When MacCallum asked Cuomo if he is "hoping for President Donald Trump's support, either overtly or behind the scenes," Cuomo gave a resounding response.

"Yeah, no, absolutely not," Cuomo replied. "I take President Trump at his word that he won't get involved."

Cuomo disclosed that the last time he spoke or left a message to the president was July 2024, when Trump was almost assassinated in Butler, Pa, to "wish him well, and [send] regards to his family."

The two politicians notoriously butted heads over lockdown policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Cuomo accused of causing significant numbers of deaths in nursing homes by admitting COVID-positive patients without requiring testing. 

The Justice Department is currently investigating whether Cuomo misled Congress about his role in allegedly downplaying the number of fatalities and shifting blame to infected nursing home staff.