Harvard University withdraws fellowship invitation to Chelsea Manning
The former US soldier was released in May from a military prison where she had been serving time for passing secrets to WikiLeaks
Harvard University on Friday withdrew a fellowship invitation to Chelsea Manning, the transgender US army soldier who was convicted of leaking classified data, after two top intelligence experts distanced themselves from the school over the invite.
Manning, 29, was released in May from a US military prison in Kansas where she had been serving time for passing secrets to the WikiLeaks website in the biggest breach of classified data in the history of the United States.
Harvard Kennedy School of government announced on Wednesday that it had invited the controversial figure to be a visiting fellow and speak at a forum.
The invitation to speak at the university still stands, said Douglas Elmendorf, the dean of Harvard Kennedy School.
“I now think that designating Chelsea Manning as a visiting fellow was a mistake, for which I accept responsibility,” Elmendorf said. “I see more clearly now that many people view a visiting fellow title as an honorific, so we should weigh that consideration when offering invitations.”