Report: Ambassador tried to hush talk of misconduct
WASHINGTON — The American ambassador to Britain, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, urged State Department investigators against publicly reporting allegations that he made sexually or racially inappropriate comments to embassy staff, according to a report released Wednesday.
The report, the product of a routine inspection of the U.S. diplomatic mission to Britain conducted over a three-month period in the fall, recommended that State Department officials review Johnson’s conduct.
But the senior diplomat overseeing European issues in Washington indicated he wouldn’t open a new investigation of the findings and said Johnson since has watched a video about workplace harassment and could get additional training to prevent violations of employees’ civil rights.
It wasn’t clear if Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or other top leaders would demand an additional inquiry amid a groundswell from American diplomats who are women or people of color and say they have been sidelined at a department that promotes equal rights and civil liberties around the world.
The final report from the State Department’s Office of Inspector General said staff at the U.S. Embassy in London had reported being subject to “inappropriate or insensitive comments” by Johnson on topics that may have included references to “religion, sex, or color.”
It didn’t provide specific examples of his remarks.
Several current and former American diplomats have said Johnson often made female and Black staff members uncomfortable with comments about their appearances or race after he took up his post in
London in November 2017.
Some staff members attributed some of Johnson’s behavior to his age and social status. But others said they were distressed by suggestions they were disloyal to President Donald Trump or the United States when they resisted his directives.
In a May 27 letter to the inspector general’s office, Johnson said he rejected the conclusion that he may have violated the civil rights of embassy employees.
He also said that, since no employee had filed a formal complaint against him, inspectors should reconsider “including the recommendation in the final report and concluding that my actions have negatively affected morale.”