Who knows what the truth is, but I fully believe the NYT would print whatever its White House sources say.
The Trump administration has pushed Harvard to cut an even costlier deal, and the New York Times reported last Monday that the University is considering a settlement with a price tag of half a billion dollars.
But Garber, in a conversation with one faculty member, said that the suggestion that Harvard was open to paying $500 million is “false” and claimed that the figure was apparently leaked to the press by White House officials, according to the three faculty familiar with the conversation.
A New York Times spokesperson wrote that the paper stands by the accuracy of its reporting, and other outlets, including The Crimson, independently reported in late July that the Trump administration was seeking a large financial settlement.
Garber has more to lose from being dishonest than the NYT does (and, yes, I do think printing bullshit from known bullshitters is being dishonest), which is part of the problem.
Anyway, aside from this specific issue, the linked Crimson piece gives a clearer view of what the Trump administration is doing, and what Harvard has already done in response, than you will generally find.