A big-ticket donor whose name was stripped from the University of Alabama’s law school late last week has maintained that he is being punished for his public stance against the state’s abortion ban.

But emails released by the university this weekend offer a different view of the situation: One of a meddling donor who wanted the power to make hiring decisions; who repeatedly clashed with and insulted the school’s dean; and who had exhausted the patience of administrators days before he called on students to boycott the university in protest of the abortion ban.