Conservatives are ripping Harvard University's decision to rescind admission of Second Amendment activist Kyle Kashuv for racist comments he made two years ago — before he survived the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in which 17 people died.
Commentator Ben Shapiro, writing for The Daily Wire, called Harvard's reaction "gutless."
Evangelical conservative commentator Erick Erickson tweeted: “The progressive black balling of Kyle Kashuv is a reminder that there’s no concept of grace in the secular religion."
Kashuv, 18, posted on Twitter Monday that Harvard had revoked his admission over anti-Semitic language and repeated use of a slur referring to African Americans that he had used two years earlier.
He said in an apology to the university that he posted that he made the comments when he was 16, before the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at the Parkland school.
Kashuv said he made "idiotic comments" and used "callous and inflammatory language in an effort to be as extreme and shocking as possible."
He alleged in his Twitter post that political opponents had approached Harvard and urged the school to cancel his admission over the posts.
"Never mind that Kashuv apologized publicly for the comments; never mind that his public behavior has evinced no racism whatsoever. Forgiveness must be withheld," Shapiro wrote.
He characterized Harvard's refusal to accept his apology as, "to put it mildly, gutless.
"There are ex-convicts who, quite properly, have been admitted to Harvard — they earned forgiveness. There are current students who undoubtedly have said things privately that would shock the conscience. There are likely administrators who have said things when they were 16 years old that embarrass them now."
Republican strategist Bradley Blakeman told Newsmax, "That's not to forgive Kyle for the comments he made — but, on the other hand, he's been given an opportunity to explain himself and he apologized and he is remorseful for it."
Blakeman said Harvard should have given Kashuv a full hearing, since the university was approached anonymously about his application.
"He's owned up to what he's done, but the question is he paying too high a price for what he's done?" he posed.
"That's the question, and whether or not the school gave him the opportunity to be heard, to explain himself. That is certainly something they did not do.
"If anybody, a college or university, should have at least given him that because that's the decent thing to do," Blakeman said.
Kashuv's posts drew mixed reactions, with some saying he deserved to be forgiven and others saying Harvard made the right decision.
Blakeman told Newsmax: "It's unfortunate that this kid has become a target, a martyr. It's very unfortunate.
"But that is what he's become when he's put himself in the position of being outspoken and not necessarily saying what the mainstream media expects him to say or expects him to act."
Shapiro argued that Harvard targeted the Stoneman Douglas graduate because of his views and comparing Kashuv's academic record to David Hogg, another shooting alumnus who has been idolized by the left for his anti-gun efforts.
Hogg tweeted last year that he had been accepted to Harvard.
Shapiro noted that that Hogg had a 4.2 grade point average and scored 1270 on the SAT test, while Kashuv told The New York Times that he had a 5.4 G.P.A., and a 1550 SAT score.
"Kyle Kashuv acted like a dumb kid," Shaipro concluded "He’s remorseful. Denying him the chance to prove it is horrifying."
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