 Cary Nelson defended the decision on the basis that Salaita had not yet become a faculty member at the time that his offer was withdrawn, but the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) released a publication which stated that "Professor Salaita's appointment should have entitled him to the due process rights of a tenured faculty member" and that the university "violated the AAUP/AAC&U 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure".The Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure at UIUC stated that "The process by which Dr. Salaita's proposed appointment was withdrawn and eventually rejected did not follow existing policies and procedures in several substantial respects...The reasons given--the civility of tweets made by Dr. Salaita in the summer of 2014--is not consistent with the university's guarantee of freedom of political speech...however, ... the Chancellor has raised legitimate questions about Dr. Salaita's professional fitness that must be addressed.