Fox says Thomas Ricks apologized for 'wing of the Republican party' comment; Ricks says no

Fox News had its fee fees hurt when foreign policy expert Thomas Ricks took the opportunity, during an interview on the network, to describe it as "operating as a wing of the Republican party" in its handling of the Benghazi story. Ricks does not appear to be particularly worried about that, though:

After the interview, a Fox News staffer told Mr. Ricks that he had been rude. [...]

Mr. Ricks said in an e-mail message afterward that he did not think he was being rude. "I thought I was being honest," he said. "They asked my opinion, and I gave it."

Fox is so invested in the "Ricks was rude" line that a network executive vice president went ahead and told The Hollywood Reporter that Ricks had apologized privately: "He apologized in our offices afterward but doesn't have the strength of character to do that publicly." Ricks doesn't see things that way, though:

In an email to THR, Ricks also disputes FNC's claim of a private apology.

"Please ask Mr. Clemente what the words of my supposed apology were. I'd be interested to know," he said. "Frankly, I don't remember any such apology."

I'd be interested to know, too. Especially since that would mean Fox News willingly extending the story of its own embarrassment by another day.

(Via Greg Mitchell)