Ambassador’s conduct under review
Report recommends that State Department investigate Woody Johnson for his inappropriate comments.
WASHINGTON — Woody Johnson, the American ambassador to Britain, 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 that was conducted over a three-month period in the fall, recommended that officials at the State Department’s headquarters review Johnson’s conduct.
But the senior diplomat overseeing European issues in Washington indicated he would not open a new investigation of the findings and said Johnson has since watched a video about workplace harassment and could receive additional training to prevent violations of employees’ civil rights.
It was not 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 the 73-year-old Johnson on topics that may have included references to “religion, sex, or color.” It did not provide specific examples.
Several current and former American diplomats have told The New York Times that Johnson, a pharmaceutical heir who owns the New York Jets, 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 also distressed by suggestions that they were disloyal to President Donald Trump or the United States when they resisted his directives.
The inspector general’s office reported low morale among embassy employees, some of whom said Johnson had questioned their motives, or implied he would remove them from their jobs, for raising concerns about some of his ideas.
“This caused staff to grow wary of providing him with their best judgment,” the report found. It also cited Johnson’s “demanding, hard driving work style” as contributing to morale problems.