California Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s husband was among those listed in a University of California audit to discover unfair admissions practices.
Richard Blum, the Democratic senator’s husband, was responsible for a “particularly problematic” instance of someone promoting an underqualified student for admission, according to several reports.
Blum, who is a member of the board of regents for the University of California system, wrote a letter to the chancellor at the University of California, Davis and advocated for the admission of a student who had been wait-listed and only had a 26% chance of being admitted based on merit alone. The student was granted admission, taking the place of a student with stronger academic credentials.
Blum told the San Francisco Chronicle that he did not realize he was doing anything wrong by contacting chancellors on behalf of underqualified students. He said that he had done so “a bunch of times” and that “no one” told him it was “wrong.”
“My cousin’s brother wanted to get into [the University of California] Davis,” Blum said. “They’d send me a letter and tell me why it’s a good kid, and I’ll send it on to the chancellor. Been doing it forever.”
The investigation into the admissions process at the University of California was prompted by arrests of several celebrities, including Lori Loughlin, on charges of paying to have their children admitted to universities throughout the country, including some schools in the California system.
In its investigation, the University of California found that 64 subpar students who were tied to major donors, university leaders, or other powerful figures had been admitted to a California university from 2013 to 2019. Of the 64 who were admitted, 22 were admitted as athletes “even though they possessed little athletic talent.”
Blum told the Mercury News that the report released by the university system was “the first time I’ve heard that maybe I did something that wasn’t right.”
“I find this to be much ado about nothing,” Blum said.
