A University of Pennsylvania professor who sparked controversy by disparaging Charlie Kirk shortly after his murder is still employed at the university, which is drawing backlash from some accusing the Ivy League institution of not taking political violence seriously.
Michael Mann, a climate scientist who served as the Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action at Penn, announced on his website last week that he was stepping down from that position in a move he says was his decision and based on the « science policy advocacy work » he was doing.
The announcement came about two weeks after he sparked a firestorm by retweeting multiple posts slamming Kirk in the wake of his assassination, which resulted in calls for him to be fired.
Despite the self-imposed sanction, Mann is still a tenured professor at the university and listed on the school’s website, calling into question what penalty, if any, Penn gave Mann for his posts criticizing Kirk as professors and administrators across the country were suspended or fired for similar posts.
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR WHO CALLED KIRK’S ASSASSINATION ‘FAIR’ NO LONGER EMPLOYED
Mann is still listed on the school’s website as the Director of Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media.
« I don’t understand why Penn continues to employ Mann, » Steve Milloy, Senior Policy Fellow at the Energy and Environment Legal Institute and former Trump EPA Transition Team Member, told Fox News Digital, adding that if the school was behind Mann losing his provost position, « why wasn’t it enough to end his academic appointment as well? »
Mann’s controversial moves after Kirk’s death included retweeting multiple posts slamming Kirk, including one from Max Granger mocking Ezra Klein’s New York Times column on the conservative activist, which said « Ezra Klein: I had my differences with the head of Trump’s Hitler Youth, but we both wanted the same thing: to make America great again. »
He retweeted another post on Klein’s « Charlie Kirk Was Practicing Politics the Right Way » column, dubbing it « whitewashing » Kirk’s legacy. Mann himself posted that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox « was all ‘thoughts and prayers’ in the press conference » and included a link to Everytown, a gun control advocacy group, regarding a bill Cox previously signed.
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Mann later clarified his actions, saying, « I was simply agreeing w/ the (widespread) criticism of Ezra Klein’s claim that Kirk was ‘practicing politics the right way.’ I do NOT approve of the inappropriate & inflammatory language used to describe Kirk (which I’d overlooked. Have deleted. »
Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Dave McCormick demanded Penn take « immediate » and « decisive » action against Mann shortly after his posts.
Penn did not directly respond to multiple requests for comment from Fox News Digital specifically on what disciplinary action was given to Mann and whether the school was behind his decision to step down as vice-provost.
A Penn spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to Mann’s announcement.
Penn Provost John Jackson Jr. said in a comment to the Daily Pennsylvanian that Mann wasn’t fired or « driven out » of the vice-provost position.
Since the controversy, Mann has been active on social media promoting his new book « Science Under Siege » exposing the « dangerous anti-science movement. »
In a September 30 X post, Mann thanked the Education University of Hong Kong for recently giving him an honorary degree at a ceremony in China where he said it was a « pleasure » to « delight in the treasures of this amazing city! »
Mann, who has drawn the ire of conservatives over the years and been accused of being a climate activist, is not a stranger to controversial posts on social media.
In 2022, he posted on Twitter that the Republican Party should be « destroyed » and earlier this year said that « we’re in second amendment territory » in a perceived threat if President Trump didn’t abide by a judge’s ruling.
Mann did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ivy-league-professor-who-mocked-charlie-kirks-death-still-employed-despite-public-outcry-and-resignation
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Publish date : 2025-10-10 15:30:00
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