State Department Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley resigned on Sunday afternoon, only two days
after he
was reported to have called the treatment of alleged WikiLeaks source
Private Bradley Manning "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid."
Crowley
stood by those remarks in his resignation statement on Sunday afternoon.
"My recent comments regarding the conditions of the
pre-trial detention of Private First Class Bradley Manning were intended to
highlight the broader, even strategic impact of discreet actions undertaken by
national security agencies every day and their impact on our global standing
and leadership. The exercise of power in today's challenging times and
relentless media environment must be prudent and consistent with our laws and
values," he said.
"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 made the remarks on March 10 to an audience at MIT
and first
confirmed them to The Cable,
explaining on March 11, "What I
said was my personal opinion. It does not reflect an official USG policy
position. I defer to the Department of Defense regarding the treatment of
Bradley Manning,"
But
the Defense Department was furious at Crowley. The leadership at the Pentagon
thought it outrageous that a U.S. government official, much less the State
Department's top spokesman, would publicly criticize the Marine Corps and their
treatment of a prisoner.
Manning,
who is being held in a maximum security prison and under isolation 23 hours a
day at the Marine Corps' base in Quantico, VA, has reportedly been subject to
daily disrobing and various other humiliations, which have been widely
criticized by human rights groups, including Amnesty International.
The
controversy over Crowley's comment escalated when Jake Tapper of ABC News
asked President Barack Obama at his
March 11 press conference whether he agreed with the State Department spokesman.
"With respect to Private Manning, I have actually asked the
Pentagon whether or not the procedures that have been taken in terms of his
confinement are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards. They assure me
that they are," said Obama. "I can't go into details about some of their
concerns, but some of this has to do with Private Manning's safety as well."
Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton accepted
the resignation Sunday with regret.
"P.J. has served our nation with distinction for more than
three decades, in uniform and as a civilian," she said in a statement. "His
service to country is motivated by a deep devotion to public policy and public
diplomacy, and I wish him the very best."
Clinton
said that Mike Hammer, who moved
over from being NSC spokesman in January to take the position of principal
deputy assistant secretary for public affairs, will step in as the acting
assistant secretary for the time being.
Before
Crowley took the job as the top State Department spokesman, he served for 26
years in the Air Force, retiring with the rank of Colonel in 1999. He served as principal deputy assistant
secretary of defense for public affairs and National Security Council spokesman
during the Clinton administration. He was also a senior fellow and director of
homeland security at the Center for American Progress.
Crowley
was known among the State Department press corps for his cooperative and
principled approach to government-media relations. He often worked to provide
information to journalists above and beyond what was necessary -- while also
defending the State Department's interests.
Crowley's
tendency to add some analysis and candid observations to the facts of a given
issue was valued by the reporters he worked with, but it also got him in
trouble on more than one occasion.
In
March 2010, the State Department had
to do damage control with Libyan ruler Muammar
al-Qaddafi (then an ally of the United States) after Crowley said of
Qaddafi's rambling speech at the United Nations, "I can recall lots of words
and lots of papers flying all over the place, not necessarily a lot of sense."
As
for Crowley's management of the public affairs office, the State Department's
Inspector General praised him in a recent
report but also highlighted a lack of communication between Crowley's shop
and other key communications officials, such as Deputy Assistant Secretary Philippe Reines.
For
most inside the State Department, Crowley was a good guy with a tough job,
doing the best he could in unenviable circumstances.
"P.J
was a real asset with a wealth of experience and a pro," one State
Department official told The Cable.
"There is no reason P.J.'s successor won't face similar problems. It will take
more than an IG report to fix those issues."
Read More
(4)
HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE