Former Army Private Chelsea Manning (then Bradley Manning) was found guilty of leaking secret military documents to WikiLeaks and was sentenced to 35 years in prison, a sentence that former President Barack Obama saw worth commuting after seven years.
While she hasn’t done much since her release aside from go off on emoji-ridden tweet-storms, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government — apparently having no issue with Manning’s record — made her a visiting fellow for the year.
In response to the title, CIA Deputy Director Michael Morrell, who served as a senior fellow at the Kennedy School, resigned in protest.
NEW: Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell resigns as Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy school over hiring of Chelsea Manning pic.twitter.com/qrD7MCdVtx
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 14, 2017
After losing a visiting fellow of actual value, the Kennedy School decided that perhaps they hadn’t made the wisest decision.
Now, according to NPR,
Less than two days later, the school’s dean withdrew the invitation.
In addition to Morell’s resignation, a short time later, CIA Director Mike Pompeo canceled an appearance at the school, where he was scheduled to discuss such topics as Russian involvement in the presidential election and the nuclear standoff with North Korea. Pompeo , who has a law degree from Harvard, said he didn’t make the decision lightly. He wrote that he would betray the trust of CIA employees if he appeared.
In a statement released late Thursday, Dean Douglas Elmendorf said the school did not intend to honor Manning in any way or to endorse any of her words or deeds.
“We are withdrawing the invitation to her to serve as a Visiting Fellow — and the perceived honor that it implies to some people — while maintaining the invitation for her to spend a day at the Kennedy School and speak in the Forum.
“I apologize to her and to the many concerned people from whom I have heard today for not recognizing upfront the full implications of our original invitation.”
Manning, meanwhile, responded to the disinvitation in her usual fashion:
honored to be 1st disinvited trans woman visiting @harvard fellow ? they chill marginalized voices under @cia pressure ??? #WeGotThis https://t.co/7ViF3GaSec
— Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) September 15, 2017
this is what a military/police/intel state looks like ?️?️♀️ the @cia determines what is and is not taught at @harvard ??? #WeGotThis https://t.co/09xIJGlhgf
— Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) September 15, 2017
so @harvard says @seanspicer & @Clewandowski_ bring “something to the table and add something to the conversation” and not me ??? #WeGotThis
— Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) September 15, 2017
It’s apparent that those at Harvard aren’t going to be missing much.
Source: Allen Weat
