US State Deptt spokesman steps down amid flap

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WASHINGTON – US State department spokesman PJ Crowley is resigning fromhis post, the department said on Sunday. After reports that Crowley had called “stupid”, the Pentagon’s treatment of a US soldier accused of leaking secret documents that appeared on the WikiLeaks website.
“It is with regret that I have accepted the resignation of Philip J Crowley as Public Affairs Assistant State Secretary,” said State Secretary Hillary Clinton. “Given the impact of my remarks, for which I take responsibility, I have submitted my resignation as Public Affairs Assistant Secretary and State Department Spokesman,” Crowley said in the statement.
A BBC correspondent reported that Crowley had told a small audience at a university in Massachusetts that the treatment of jailed former intelligence analyst Bradley Manning “is ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid.”