Report: U.S. State Department spokesman Crowley resigns after Manning comments

2011-03-13 23:45:11 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- U.S. State Department spokesman Philip PJ Crowley resigned on Sunday, CNN reported, without giving more details.

Crowley came under fire earlier this week when he said the treatment of Private First Class Bradley Manning was "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid." Manning is suspected of having leaked secret files to WikiLeaks.

CNN said the resignation came under pressure from White House officials.

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State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told an audience at MIT on Thursday that he thought the Defense Department's treatment of alleged WikiLeaks source Private Bradley Manning was "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid."

Blogger Philippa Thomas first reported Crowley's remarks, which she said were part of a lecture on "the benefits of new media as it relates to foreign policy" at an event organized by MIT's Center for Future Civic Media.

"One young man said he wanted to address ‘the elephant in the room'. What did Crowley think, he asked, about Wikileaks? About the United States, in [the questioner's] words, ‘torturing a prisoner in a military brig'? Crowley didn't stop to think. What's being done to Bradley Manning by my colleagues at the Department of Defense ‘is ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid.' He paused. ‘None the less Bradley Manning is in the right place'. And he went on lengthening his answer, explaining why in Washington's view, ‘there is sometimes a need for secrets... for diplomatic progress to be made'," ...

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/03/11/state_department_spokesman_calls_treatment_of_bradley_manning_ridiculous_and_counte