Washington – CIA Director Mike Pompeo says he scrapped his appearance Thursday at Harvard University over the school’s decision to make Chelsea Manning, who was convicted of leaking classified information, a visiting fellow.
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Pompeo calls Manning an “American traitor.”
Pompeo, a Harvard graduate, says he didn’t make the decision lightly. He is citing military and intelligence officials who believe that the leaks endangered the lives of CIA employees.
He was supposed to speak at the university Thursday night, but was a no-show. The CIA released a letter Pompeo wrote to Harvard explaining his decision.
Earlier Thursday, Mike Morell, former deputy director and acting director of the CIA, sent a resignation letter to Harvard saying he could not be part of an organization that “honors a convicted felon and leaker of classified information.”