State Dept. spokesman forced to resign

Former US State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/169748.html

The US State Department spokesman has been forced to resign after calling the treatment of a US solider accused of leaking documents to WikiLeaks “stupid.”

The state department announced the resignation of Philip J. Crowley on Sunday, following his recent comments he made at Massachusetts University where he said the treatment of Army Private Bradley Manning was "ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid," Reuters reported.

“Given the impact of my remarks, for which I take full responsibility, I have submitted my resignation as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Spokesman for the Department of State," Crowley said in his statement.

"It is with regret that I have accepted the resignation of Philip J. Crowley as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

Private Manning was charged in July with leaking classified materials, including a video of US soldiers attacking and killing twelve unarmed Iraqi civilians in an Apache helicopter raid on Baghdad. Among the dead were two Reuters employees.

Manning has been held in solitary confinement since May, and is now imprisoned at the Quantico Marine Corps base in Virginia.

His attorney, David Coombs, says his client faces inhuman treatment. Besides sensory deprivation, he is being forced to sleep only in his underwear and to wear shackles when outside of his cell.