The Institute of Politics at Harvard
Kennedy School on Thursday withdrew a visiting fellow invitation to
Chelsea Manning.
Manning was released from prison in
August after serving 7 years of a 35-year prison sentence at Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas for violating the Espionage Act. Before leaving
the White House, President Barack Obama commuted all but four months
of Manning's remaining prison term.
(Related: Trump
calls Chelsea Manning an “ungrateful traitor.”)
Manning, 29, came out transgender on
the day after she was sentenced.
The school acted after Michael Morell,
former deputy director and acting director of the CIA, resigned his
senior fellowship post at Harvard and CIA Director Mike Pompeo
canceled an appearance at the school to protest its decision to
include Manning as a vising fellow.
Morell said that the school should not
“honor a convicted felon and leaker of classified information.”
Douglas Elmendorf, dean of the John F.
Kennedy School of Government, said in a statement that the school was
withdrawing its invitation.
“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,”
Elmendorf said.
“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,” he
added.