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'I did the best I could': Chelsea Manning hits back at traitor accusations 'This is a police state': Chelsea Manning accuses Harvard of caving to CIA
(about 13 hours later)
Chelsea Manning told a conference on Sunday that she is not an “American traitor”, as her critics have claimed, and that she did what she thought was the right thing to do. Chelsea Manning has accused Harvard University of caving into pressure from the CIA in reversing its invitation to her to become a visiting fellow, in what the former US soldier and whistleblower described as a “police state”.
“I believe I did the best I could in my circumstances to make an ethical decision,” she told the crowd when asked by the moderator if she was a traitor. In her first spoken comments on the Harvard debacle, Manning told a conference on Sunday that the university’s abrupt U-turn over the invitation, made in the face of fierce criticism from senior figures in the CIA, marked the end of free political debate in academic institutions.
Harvard University reversed its decision to name Manning a visiting fellow on Friday after CIA director Mike Pompeo scrapped a planned appearance in protest and called Manning an “American traitor”. “So this is one of the American government institutions [the CIA] telling one of the American academic institutions [Harvard], no, you cannot bring this to your school,” she said.
“And that’s what that was. This is a police state. This is a military intelligence and it is a police state in which we can no longer engage in actual political discourse in our institutions.”
She added: “Our institutions have no discussion.”
I’m walking out of prison and I see, literally, a dystopian novel unfolding before my eyes
Harvard reversed its decision to name Manning a visiting fellow on Thursday after CIA director Mike Pompeo scrapped a planned appearance in protest and called Manning an “American traitor”.
Manning made the comments at an annual conference in Massachusetts called the Nantucket Project, a venture founded to bring together creative thinkers. Organisers said about 600 people attended.Manning made the comments at an annual conference in Massachusetts called the Nantucket Project, a venture founded to bring together creative thinkers. Organisers said about 600 people attended.
Project co-founder Tom Scott said Manning was invited for “clarity of understanding”. It was one of Manning’s first public appearances since she was released from a military prison in May, having served seven years of a 35-year sentence which was commuted by Barack Obama in his final days in office.
“My brother and father are Marines. They would respectfully challenge some of her decisions,” he said. “Barack Obama commuted her sentence. My instinct is that he’s a good and trustful man. How do those two things mix? Seeing her in person offers, perhaps, the best way to decipher that.” Eugene Jarecki, an award-winning documentary director, moderated the discussion. He asked Manning if it “reflects something about the state of our time” that she was still the subject of pressure by the CIA and labelled by some as a traitor.
This was one of Manning’s first public appearances since being released from a military prison in May. Manning said she took a risk to contribute to political and public discourse and “change the tone of the conversation”, but that it hadn’t changed and if anything “things have gotten worse”.
Manning was convicted in 2013 of leaking a trove of classified documents. She was released from a military prison in May after serving seven years of a 35-year sentence, which was commuted by Obama in his final days in office.
Scott said some people were upset that Manning was invited, but he didn’t consider retracting the invitation.
After Harvard rescinded its offer, Manning said the decision signalled to her it was a “police state” and it was not possible to engage in actual political discourse in academic institutions. “I’m not ashamed of being disinvited,” she said. “I view that just as much of an honoured distinction as the fellowship itself.”
Eugene Jarecki, an award-winning documentary director, moderated the discussion. He asked Manning if it “reflects something about the state of our time” that she was still the subject of pressure by the CIA on Harvard and labelled a traitor.
I’m walking out of prison and I see, literally, a dystopian novel unfolding before my eyes.
Manning said she took a risk to contribute to political and public discourse and “change the tone of the conversation”, but that it hadn’t changed, and if anything, “things have gotten worse”.
“I’m walking out of prison and I see, literally, a dystopian novel unfolding before my eyes,” she said. “That’s how I feel when I walk in the American streets today.”“I’m walking out of prison and I see, literally, a dystopian novel unfolding before my eyes,” she said. “That’s how I feel when I walk in the American streets today.”
Manning said she was not disheartened by what Harvard had done under CIA pressure. On the contrary: “I’m honoured to be the first disinvited trans woman to the Harvard University fellowship program. And I am, I’m honoured.
“I don’t view that as something I’m ashamed of. I view that as just as much an honour and distinction as the fellowship itself.”
Manning also talked about the lack of privacy in today’s society, calling it “dead”, as well as the power of civil disobedience and the importance of forgiveness, saying “we should forgive everybody at some point”. She said she would keep speaking out.Manning also talked about the lack of privacy in today’s society, calling it “dead”, as well as the power of civil disobedience and the importance of forgiveness, saying “we should forgive everybody at some point”. She said she would keep speaking out.
“Everybody keeps telling me, ‘Maybe you shouldn’t say this. Maybe you shouldn’t do this event. Maybe you shouldn’t talk. Maybe you shouldn’t do this,’” she said. “And I’m just like, OK, the fact that you’re telling me I shouldn’t do this is the reason why I should. And I think that’s what we can all do.” “Everybody keeps telling me, ‘Maybe you shouldn’t say this. Maybe you shouldn’t do this event. Maybe you shouldn’t talk. Maybe you shouldn’t do this,’” she said.
“And I’m just like, OK, the fact that you’re telling me I shouldn’t do this is the reason why I should. And I think that’s what we can all do.”