Trump’s envoy to Samoa investigated over inappropriate remarks

WELLINGTON: The US ambassador to New Zealand Scott Brown has been told to brush up on his diplomacy and be more culturally aware after gaffs at a reception in Samoa led to an inquiry into his conduct.

Brown, named as Washington’s man in Wellington and envoy to Samoa in one of US President Donald Trump’s earliest diplomatic appointments, confirmed the probe followed comments made at a Peace Corps event in Samoa in July.

The 58-year-old told New Zealand journalists this week he had called guests “beautiful” and suggested to one waitress she could “make hundreds of dollars” working in the service industry in the United States.

While he acknowledged there may have been cultural misunderstandings, he also believed there was an element of “political motivation” behind the complaint.

“At this event there were a lot of people that didn’t like (President Trump). Sadly it’s politics and it is what it is,” he said.

Brown said he was revealing what happened because of mounting “innuendo and rumour” about a State Department investigation into his behaviour.

He said an official complaint had been made about his remarks and an “administrative inquiry” concluded he should be more culturally aware.

Brown commented on the appearance of guests because when he and his wife Gail saw people before the event “they were all like dirty and grungy ... We walked in and everyone was dressed to the nines,” he said.

“They all looked great, Gail looked great, you know I was dressed up and Gail and I both walked in and said ‘you guys are beautiful, you look really handsome sir, you guys are great’. And apparently somebody took offence to that,” Brown said. — AFP