Story highlights The Justice Department civil rights division is looking for lawyers, according to an internal memo obtained by The New York Times

The DOJ was referring to a 2015 complaint filed against Harvard for discriminating against Asian-Americans in the admissions process

Washington (CNN) The Department of Justice is pushing back against a report that said the Trump administration was readying resources in the department's civil rights division to potentially investigate and litigate the affirmative action policies at universities.

The New York Times reported on an internal document that said the Justice Department's civil rights division was looking for lawyers to work on "investigations and possible litigation related to intentional race-based discrimination in college and university admissions."

CNN has not independently obtained the document.

The New York Times suggested that the phrase "intentional race-based discrimination" could mean the undertaking is aimed at affirmative action-based policies, specifically ones that prioritize minority students over white students.

DOJ spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores called that characterization "inaccurate," and said the posting was from an ongoing case that rolled over from Democratic President Barack Obama's administration.

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