ACLU official criticizes Transylvania University for accepting 'provocateur in training' Nicholas Sandmann as a student weeks after Covington teen spoke at Republican convention

• Nicholas Sandmann, 17, was accepted to Transylvania University in Lexington 
• Samuel Crankshaw, a staffer for the ACLU, said it's a 'stain' on the university 
• He called Sandmann a 'provocateur in training' who 'exists only to troll' 
• An assistant professor at TU suggested he would closely monitor Sandmann 
• But the professor, Dr. Avery Tompkins, later apologized for the comment 
• Sandmann is former Covington Catholic student who spoke at RNC last month 
• In 2019, he was filmed standing opposite Native American at Lincoln Memorial 
• Video went viral as Sandmann was accused of racism toward Nathan Phillips 
• But Phillips, Sandmann said they sought to defuse tensions among other groups 
• Sandmann sued several news organizations for defamation, including CNN 
• He reached confidential settlements with CNN and The Washington Post

SAMUEL CRANKSHAW

Sam is a native of Winchester, KY. He got involved with politics at a young age, canvassing for a candidate for the first time at the age of 9. In his free time, Sam enjoys biking, running, spending time with his 3-legged dog, painting, drawing, photography, and watching whatever the hot new binge show is.