Penn professor who criticized Charlie Kirk after murder remains employed

A University of Pennsylvania professor who sparked controversy by disparaging Charlie Kirk shortly after his assassination is still employed at the university, sparking backlash from some accusing the Ivy League institution of not taking political violence seriously.

Michael Mann, a climate scientist who served as vice provost for climate science, policy and action at Penn, announced on its website last week he resigned from his position, a decision he says was his decision and based on the “science policy advocacy work” he was doing.

The announcement came about two weeks after he started a firestorm by retweeting several messages critical of Kirk following his assassination, leading to calls for his firing.

Despite his self-imposed sanction, Mann is still a tenured professor at the university and is listed on the school’s website questioning what sanction, if any, Penn gave Mann for his posts criticizing Kirk as professors and administrators across the country. suspended or dismissed for similar positions.

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR WHO ‘RIGHTEOUSLY’ KIRK’S MURDER IS NO LONGER EMPLOYED

A University of Pennsylvania professor remains employed despite controversy over his disparaging comments about Charlie Kirk shortly after his murder. (PA)

Mann is still listed on the school’s website as director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media.

“I don’t understand why Penn continues to employ Mann,” Steve Milloy, a senior policy fellow at the Energy and Environment Legal Institute and a former member of Trump’s EPA transition team, told Fox News Digital, adding that if the school was behind Mann’s loss of his provost position, “why wasn’t that enough to end his academic tenure as well?”

Mann’s controversial moves after Kirk’s death included retweeting several posts critical of Kirk, including one from Max Granger mocking Ezra Klein’s New York Times column on the conservative activist, which read “Ezra Klein: I had my differences with Trump’s Hitler Youth leader, but we both wanted the same thing: give back to America its greatness.”

He retweeted another article from Klein’s “Charlie Kirk Did Politics the Right Way” column, calling it a “whitewash” of Kirk’s legacy. Mann himself posted that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox “had nothing but thoughts and prayers during the press conference” and included a link to Everytown, a gun control advocacy group, regarding a bill previously signed by Cox.

EXPERTS WARN LEFT CELEBRATIONS OF CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH SIGNAL DANGEROUS POLITICAL CHANGE

Michael E. Mann is seen outside the H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse on February 5, 2024. (Pete Kiehart for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Mann later clarified his actions by stating, “I simply agreed with the (widespread) criticism of Ezra Klein’s assertion that Kirk was ‘doing politics the right way.’ I do NOT condone the inappropriate and inflammatory language used to describe Kirk (which I overlooked. I deleted.”

Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Dave McCormick called on Penn to take “immediate” and “decisive” action against Mann soon after taking office.

Penn did not directly respond to multiple requests for comment from Fox News Digital specifically on Mann’s disciplinary actions and whether the school was behind his decision to resign as vice provost.

A Penn spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to Mann’s announcement.

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Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, enters the square and chats with his supporters. (Getty)

Penn Provost John Jackson Jr. said in a comment to the Daily Pennsylvanian that Mann was not fired or “chase” from the vice provost position.

Since the controversy, Mann has been active on social media promoting his new book “Science Under Siege,” speaking out against the “dangerous anti-science movement.”

In a September 30 MessageMann thanked the Education University of Hong Kong for recently conferring an honorary degree on him at a ceremony in China where he said it was a “pleasure” to “revel 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 no stranger to controversial social media posts.

In 2022, he posted on Twitter that the Republican Party should be “destroyed” and said earlier this year that “we are in Second Amendment territory,” a perceived threat if President Trump did not respect a judge’s ruling.

Mann did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.