State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley is resigning from his position, to be replaced on an interim basis by deputy Mike Hammer, the department confirmed Sunday.
Crowley has served as the public face for Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s department since 2009. But he landed in hot water recently for criticizing the Pentagon’s treatment of Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, who is suspected of leaking secret government documents to WikiLeaks.
Speaking to a small audience at MIT on Thursday, Crowley said what’s being done to Manning is “ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid,” according to a BBC correspondent who blogged about the event. CNN originally reported that Crowley was stepping down.
Full story: State Department spokesman Crowley steps down