A
guest wears U.S. and Singapore flags prior to the arrival of Singapore
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House in Washington, U.S.,
August 2, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/ File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
US says it takes seriously reports of misbehavior by its envoy to Singapore
WASHINGTON,
March 1 (Reuters) - The White House on Friday said the U.S. government
was taking seriously an internal watchdog report that the U.S.
ambassador to Singapore threatened his staff and failed to submit about
$48,000 in travel expenses on time or with proper documentation.
Ambassador
Jonathan Kaplan, a political appointee, had poor relations with some
Singaporean ministries and was often unprepared on issues, the State
Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) said in a report.
"OIG
found the ambassador did not model integrity, plan strategically,
collaborate, or communicate," it said, urging the State Department to
assess his leadership and management and, if appropriate, "take
corrective action."
"Numerous
staff described a fear, and even direct threats, of reprisal from the
Ambassador," it said. "They described his mannerisms with personnel as
belittling and intimidating."
The
report noted the ambassador's view that "although there had been a
difficult transition when he assumed his position, morale had improved
under his leadership, and he was confident that he had gained the trust"
of his staff.
"The
president always wants his representatives ... to manage people with
dignity and respect," White House National Security Council spokesman
John Kirby told reporters. "He's comfortable that the State Department
is taking this seriously."
The
report faulted Kaplan, an entrepreneur, for failing to follow
procedures in hiring consultants who submitted bills of $5,650 for "a
furniture research project" and of $4,250 to redesign the embassy's
cafeteria.
The
report found Kaplan did not follow many of the State Department's
travel policies, failing to use a travel agency under contract with the
U.S. government and to comply with a U.S. law requiring the use of U.S.
carriers.
"OIG
found approximately $48,000 worth of outstanding travel obligations
extending back to December 2021 that either were not submitted for
reimbursement or lacked sufficient supporting documentation to pay the
travel claim," it said.
Reporting By Arshad Mohammed. Editing by Gerry Doyle