The liberal blog ThinkProgress suddenly reversed its stance on Benghazi whistleblower Gregory Hicks, the State Department’s former deputy chief of mission in Libya, citing unnamed State officials in an attempt to sully Hicks’ testimony before a House committee on Wednesday.
The allegations came less than 48 hours after the website touted Hicks’ testimony as supporting the administration’s position on key aspects of its alleged cover-up following attacks on the Benghazi consulate in September.
Hicks "debunk[ed] right-wing Benghazi conspiracy theories" in his testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wrote blogger Hayes Brown on Wednesday.
By Friday, Brown was calling into question Hicks’ credibility, sourcing indictments of his management style to anonymous "staffers based in Libya."
"I’ve effectively been demoted from deputy chief of mission to desk officer," Hicks told the committee.
He attributed the apparent retribution to his skepticism of State’s official explanation for the attacks—specifically that they began as a spontaneous protest and evolved into a military-style assault—and his cooperation with a congressional investigation.
One of Brown’s unnamed sources said Hicks was "the worst manager I’ve ever seen in the Foreign Service." Another criticized "his management capacity or lack thereof.
Hicks is a decorated 22-year foreign service veteran with an exemplary service record, according to Foreign Policy magazine:
Hicks has a distinguished record of service in six overseas assignments in Bahrain, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Gambia. He has received six Meritorious Service Increases, three individual Meritorious Honor Awards, and four individual Superior Honor Awards.