In an interview with the website TVNewser on Tuesday, Fox News Channel executive vice president Michael Clemente stood by his claim that author Tom Ricks offered a private apology following his appearance on the network.
Ricks denied that he ever expressed contrition following his interview on Monday, during which the Pulitzer Prize winner sharply criticized Fox’s coverage of the September attack in Benghazi.
“I’m surprised by the General’s utter dishonesty,” Clemente said, as quoted by TVNewser. “I’ll refresh his memory – what he said following the segment was, ‘Sorry… I’m tired from a non-stop book tour.’ Perhaps now he can finally get some rest.”
Ricks is not a military general, although Clemente may have been making a reference to the title of the author’s latest book, “The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today.”
Update: This post has been changed to correct the name of the book. The post and headline have also been updated to clarify that Clemente accused Ricks of dishonesty and that he may have been referring to Ricks’ book in his quote.
