LONDON (AP) – Accusations that President Donald Trump’s envoy to Britain made inappropriate comments about women and minorities and may have violated federal ethical standards are affecting the United States embassy in London.
Current and former US officials say the charges against the United States Ambassador to the Saint James Court Robert “Woody” Johnson arose during a routine inspection of embassy operations and should be addressed in an inspector report. General of the State Department.
Those officials say Johnson is accused of making callous comments that contravene the guidelines of department staff. But, perhaps more seriously, the former Johnson deputy alleged that the ambassador tried to intervene with British government officials at the president’s request to run the British Open golf tournament at Trump’s Turnberry complex in Scotland.
British authorities say Johnson did not make any requests about sporting events during a meeting he had with former Scottish Secretary of State David Mundell in early 2018, the deadline in which the issue is alleged to have been raised, and the golf tournament was not awarded to Turnberry
“No request was made regarding the British Open or any other sporting event,” the British government said in a statement, which did not address whether the issue came up at all with Mundell at the time or in any other conversation Johnson may have had. with British officials. .
Trump denied on Wednesday that he has ever asked Johnson to present the Turnberry case on Scotland’s west coast, and Johnson has rejected all allegations of inappropriate behavior, which were first reported by The New York Times and CNN. .
But Lewis Lukens, a respected two-time former U.S. ambassador and retired foreign service official who was number 2 at the London embassy until Johnson summarily expelled him in January 2019, said he had alerted Johnson already State Department officials in Washington to their concerns about ethical violations over the intervention of the British Open.
Now, a London-based consultant, Lukens told The Associated Press that he warned Johnson that intervening on behalf of Trump at the scene would violate federal ethics standards. But, he said, Johnson had done it anyway without apparent rejection from the department.
“He definitely raised it with the government,” Lukens told the AP, citing his conversations with Johnson, colleagues and British officials. “I reported the conversation to Washington, but I don’t think anyone has spoken to him about it.”
Lukens, whom Johnson fired from the deputy chief of mission position in London after delivering speeches praising the Obama administration, attributed a British government refusal of the request to London’s unease about striking up a fight with the Trump administration. during a particularly delicate moment. in negotiation on a post-Brexit free trade agreement with the United States. Lukens also dismissed Trump’s refusal to have posed the matter to Johnson as untrue.
Two current U.S. officials told AP they had witnessed or were aware of Johnson’s behavior that colleagues had discovered they were intimidating or denigrating.
A former embassy employee said Johnson’s questionable behavior and comments to and about women and minorities were not isolated and were witnessed by numerous employees weekly, if not daily. That former employee and the other officials were not authorized to discuss the inspector’s general report in progress and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Current and former officials said Johnson had questioned the need for events marking Black History Month, which is traditionally commemorated by US diplomatic missions abroad, had organized embassy events at a private club. Men-only against the council of colleagues at the embassy and made derogatory comments about women’s appearances.
On Wednesday, a Trump campaign aide and owner of the New York Jets football team, he took to Twitter to defend his reputation, saying the allegations he made callous comments were “false.”
“I have followed the rules and ethical requirements of my office at all times,” he tweeted. “These false claims of callous comments about race and gender are totally inconsistent with my long-standing history and values.”
In a statement provided by the embassy, Johnson added: “It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Court of St. James and to lead the talented and diverse team of the United States Mission in the Kingdom United”.
“The Embassy London staff and our three constituent consulates are the best in diplomacy,” he said, “and I greatly appreciate the extraordinary work that each and every member of the team does to strengthen and deepen our vital partnership with the United Kingdom and to advance the shared security and prosperity of our two nations. “
Trump, at a press conference at the White House, denied asking Johnson to intervene at the British Open site. “No, I never spoke to Woody Johnson about it, about Turnberry,” Trump told reporters. “Turnberry is a highly respected course, as you know, one of the best in the world. I read a story about it today. And I never spoke to Woody Johnson about doing that. Not.”
Meanwhile, the State Department defended Johnson in written comments attributed to an anonymous spokesperson. “Ambassador Johnson is a valued member of the team that has led Mission UK in an honorable and professional manner,” he said. “We support Ambassador Johnson and look forward to his continuing to ensure that our special relationship with the United Kingdom is strong.”
It was not immediately clear when the London embassy inspection, which started in October 2019, would be complete, particularly as the office’s work was interrupted after Trump’s abrupt firing in May of Inspector General Steve Linick., who was working on several politically sensitive investigations involving Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Even routine inspector inspector general reports on embassy inspections can take months to complete, especially if there are controversial aspects to them.
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Lee reported from Washington.
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