If you don’t like Columbia University’s principles, it has others. For decades, Columbia rejected the evidence of its political extremism as a conservative smear job and said academic freedom was priceless. But when the Trump administration pressed the university to follow the law, its professors folded. The price of academic freedom turns out to be $200 million, the amount Columbia must repay to the federal government, plus $21 million in damages to staff. What is this country coming to? You can’t even riot against the Jews no more.

Columbia’s statement of surrender said the university “does not admit to wrongdoing.” Neither did Prince Andrew, and he paid $16.3 million to Virginia Giuffre to keep a sexual assault case out of court. There is no better way of proving your innocence than sending your accuser a few million dollars. Columbia will pay the fine back in student-loan style over three years. The payments unlock the $400 million in federal funding that the administration suspended. See what it did there?