Harvard University has withdrawn the invitation given to Chelsea Manning to be a visiting fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School amid intense backlash over the controversial decision.

In a statement issued at around midnight Friday, Douglas Elmendorf, dean of Harvard Kennedy School, admitted that naming Manning a visiting fellow for the fall semester was "a mistake."

"[W]e are withdrawing the invitation to her to serve as a Visiting Fellow — and the perceived honor that it implies to some people — while maintaining the invitation for her to spend a day at the Kennedy School and speak in the Forum," Elmendorf wrote. "I apologize to her and to the many concerned people from whom I have heard today for not recognizing upfront the full implications of our original invitation. This decision now is not intended as a compromise between competing interest groups but as the correct way for the Kennedy School to emphasize its longstanding approach to visiting speakers while recognizing that the title of Visiting Fellow implies a certain recognition."

Manning previously was a former intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army but was convicted in 2013 of violating the Espionage Act after providing thousands of national security documents to WikiLeaks. She originally faced 35 years in prison, but former President Barack Obama commuted her sentence and she was released in May. Manning also identifies as transgender and received military healthcare benefits to treat gender dysphoria.

Elmendorf said the initial thought behind inviting Manning was due to the "Kennedy School's longstanding approach to visiting speakers is to invite some people who have significantly influenced events in the world even if they do not share our values and even if their actions or words are abhorrent to some members of our community."

"Specifically, we invited her to meet with students and others who are interested in talking with her, and then to give remarks in the Forum where the audience would have ample opportunity — as with all of our speakers — to ask hard questions and challenge what she has said and done," he added. "On that basis, we also named Chelsea Manning a Visiting Fellow. We did not intend to honor her in any way or to endorse any of her words or deeds, as we do not honor or endorse any Fellow."

After Harvard, which is located in Cambridge, Mass., announced Wednesday that Manning would be one of about 10 visiting fellows in the fall, the university faced widespread condemnation.

Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell announced on Thursday that he would step down as a senior fellow at the Ivy League school in response to Manning being named a visiting fellow.

Manning replied to the news about Morell with an emoji-filled tweet that said "good."

Hours later, CIA Director Mike Pompeo declined last-minute to speak at the university.

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., also called on the U.S. government to withhold federal funding for Harvard.

"@Harvard names convicted spy/traitor Chelsea Manning visiting fellow," Cheney tweeted Thursday. "All money they receive from U.S. govt should be cut off. Now."

Following all this backlash, Elmendorf admitted making a "mistake" and said he took responsibility for the decision.

"I still think that having her speak in the Forum and talk with students is consistent with our longstanding approach, which puts great emphasis on the value of hearing from a diverse collection of people, he wrote. "But 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. In particular, I think we should weigh, for each potential visitor, what members of the Kennedy School community could learn from that person's visit against the extent to which that person's conduct fulfills the values of public service to which we aspire. This balance is not always easy to determine, and reasonable people can disagree about where to strike the balance for specific people. Any determination should start with the presumption that more speech is better than less."

Elmendorf also apologized to Manning and to people "from whom I have heard today for not recognizing upfront the full implications of our original invitation."

"This decision now is not intended as a compromise between competing interest groups but as the correct way for the Kennedy School to emphasize its longstanding approach to visiting speakers while recognizing that the title of Visiting Fellow implies a certain recognition," he concluded.

Manning responded to the news in the early Friday morning hours, making note of two former Trump officials who also received visiting fellowships: former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

"[S]o @harvard says @seanspicer & @Clewandowski_ bring 'something to the table and add something to the conversation' and not me," Manning said in a tweet.

Manning added that she is "honored to be 1st disinvited trans woman" and that Harvard "chill marginalized voices under @cia pressure."

so @harvard says @seanspicer & @Clewandowski_ bring “something to the table and add something to the conversation” and not me 😎🌈💕 #WeGotThis — Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) September 15, 2017

"[T]his is what a military/police/intel state looks like," Manning continued, followed by two "sleuth" or "spy" emojis. "[T]he @cia determines what is and is not taught" at Harvard," she said.