Spicer, Manning to Join IOP as Visiting Fellows

UPDATED: September 14, 2017 at 11:40 a.m.

Sean Spicer, the former White House Press Secretary, will join the Institute of Politics this year as a visiting fellow, the IOP announced Wednesday.

During his six-month tenure as press secretary in the Trump White House, Spicer achieved an unusual level of notoriety and fame. His often-contentious exchanges with White House reporters at press briefings were criticized and controversial, even inspiring a number of portrayals on “Saturday Night Live.” Spicer resigned from the post in July.

Chelsea E. Manning, a transgender activist and former U.S. Army intelligence analyst who was imprisoned for disclosing classified documents, will also serve as a visiting fellow this semester. Manning was released from prison in May 2017.

Robby Mook, who managed Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, will be a visiting fellow at the IOP and a residential scholar at Kirkland House this year. Mook also leads the Digital Democracy Project at the Kennedy School, which aims to better protect the U.S. electoral system from cyberattacks.

Several gather to watch the presidential debate at the IOP. By Ryosuke Takashima

Spicer, Mook, and Manning join Sylvester James Jr., the Mayor of Kansas City, Mo., as the latest additions to the IOP's roster of visiting fall fellows.

Earlier this month, the Institute announced that Corey R. Lewandowski, Trump’s divisive former campaign manager, would also be joining as a visiting fellow. A prominent and early aide to Trump, Lewandowski was dismissed from the campaign after he was charged with misdemeanor battery of a reporter.

According to the press release, the Institute's Visiting Fellows program “brings distinguished veterans of public life to campus for a limited, yet comprehensive number of events.” The fellows will each host several events for students on campus throughout the fall semester.

“This expanded group of Visiting Fellows will be able to fulfill the Institute's mission of engaging students in discourse on topical issues of today,” said Emily M. Hall ’18 and Jason Ge ’18, co-chairs of the IOP Fellows and Study Groups Program, in a press release.

—Staff writer Luke W. Xu can be reached at luke.xu@thecrimson.com.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: September 14, 2017

A previous version of this article incorrectly indicated that Sylvester James Jr. was the former mayor of Kansas City, Mo. In fact, he is the current mayor.