His comments on the appearance of women have been “shameful,” said one source with knowledge of the situation, and two sources said it was a fight to get her to participate in an event for International Women’s Day.
“He said some pretty sexist, racist things,” said the diplomat with knowledge of complaints made to the IG about Johnson, heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune and one of the owners of the New York Jets.
When asked about the specific allegations reported by CNN, Johnson did not deny them. He called it an “honor of a lifetime” to serve as an ambassador and “to lead the talented and diverse team of the United States Mission in the United Kingdom.” Johnson called the team “the best in diplomacy” and added: “I greatly value the extraordinary work that each and every member of the team does to strengthen and deepen our vital partnership.”
The White House had no comment on the allegations against Johnson and referred CNN to the State Department.
A State Department spokesman called Johnson “a valuable member of the team that has led Mission UK in an honorable and professional manner.”
“We support Ambassador Johnson and hope that he continues to ensure that our special relationship with the United Kingdom is strong,” that spokesperson told CNN.
A spokesman for the United States Embassy in London said he had no comment on a possible IG investigation and did not deny the allegations, instead stressing that the ambassador was “totally focused” on the priorities of United States foreign policy. .
The Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment.
It is unclear how much the researchers focused on Johnson’s inappropriate comments. Of particular interest to them were the allegations that, after being asked by the president, The ambassador pushed for the Open, the prestigious British golf championship, to be held at one of Trump’s golf properties, two sources with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.
A UK government spokesperson disputes that Johnson raised the issue in a meeting with a British official reported by a source. It should be noted that any decision on the location of the tournament would not be made by a politician. However, that alleged effort on behalf of the president’s family business is a focus of the still-to-be-released report from the Office of the Inspector General, the sources said.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in London to meet on Tuesday. He attended a dinner hosted by Johnson on Tuesday night.
Allegations of racism and sexism.
Diplomats told investigators Johnson made comments, often casually about them, that they found deeply offensive and demoralizing, the sources said.
In 2018, before an event for Black History Month, commonly marked at US embassies around the world, Johnson seemed agitated and asked if the audience would be “a whole group of black people,” according to a source. .
Three sources said Johnson questioned why the black community wanted a separate month to celebrate black history, and argued that black parents did not stay with their families and that this was the “real challenge.” A source said an official who heard the comments was “stunned” and that the incident was documented and disclosed to both OIG inspectors and a supervisor.
There were other cases in which Johnson’s conduct caused a more direct setback of embassy officials.
Four sources familiar with Johnson’s meetings told CNN that the ambassador held official meetings at an elegant men’s-only club in London, the exclusive centuries-old White’s. Finally, another embassy diplomat told Johnson in late 2018 that he had to stop holding those meetings, three of the sources said. None of the embassy’s female diplomats could have attended.
Three sources said Johnson described the women as offensive and diminishing.
According to a source, at certain public events, Johnson would begin his remarks by joking about how many pretty women were present, narrowing them down to decorative objects in a way one source described as “somewhat embarrassing.”
Two sources said the ambassador indicated that he preferred to work with women, but suggested that it was because women were cheaper and worked harder than men.
He would also comment on the way embassy women dressed, two sources told CNN.
Those sources said it was a struggle to get Johnson to participate in an event for International Women’s Day, which is also widely commemorated at embassies around the world. A source said she asked why she had to do “a feminist event.” However, that event ended up taking place.
An embassy team tried to get Johnson to hold an event on gender-based violence in November 2017, the source said, to which the ambassador replied that he was not interested because “she is not a woman.”
Speaking at a reception a few days after a breast cancer research event held in collaboration with Estee Lauder in October 2017, Johnson opened her remarks by saying, “There was a prettier crowd here a few days ago with the ladies. dressed in pink and pink. ” people with breast cancer, “according to that source.
Former Deputy Chief of Mission Lewis Lukens told CNN: “I am aware of those allegations, but understand that they are the subject of a pending OIG report, so it is best that you do not comment.”
The ‘deep state’
Johnson’s way of operating and the language he used reflected the President’s deep mistrust of the bureaucracy that supports the executive branch and serves the administrations of both parties.
Johnson would say the embassy needed more top Republicans and described the staff there as members of the so-called “Deep State,” one of the sources said.
Johnson accused Lukens of being “a traitor” because of the speech, two sources said, and his removal was a blow to embassy morale.
“(Lukens) ordered the respect of the entire embassy, everyone loved him,” said a source.
It is unclear whether the specific offensive comment allegations are included in the inspector general’s report.
In a comment to CNN, the embassy spokesman did not address those allegations and said: “Johnson is fully focused on the important foreign policy priorities that represent our special relationship with the United Kingdom, including the negotiation of a free trade agreement without precedents, helping our economies emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic stronger than ever and insuring our countries against the full range of threats we face. ”
Last week, a “Pledge for a More Diverse and Inclusive Workplace” was distributed to the State Department’s Office of European and Eurasian Affairs. Among its steps, the office said it was committed to holding “toxic leaders accountable and trained, as well as recommending formal discipline, when warranted,” according to the internal memo seen by CNN.
Allegations of a push to hold a major golf tournament on the Trump course
A source familiar with the report said investigators focused on Johnson’s potential efforts to use his position in government to direct business to Trump’s personal property.
Another source reported that after Johnson returned from a trip to Washington where he met with the president in early 2018, the ambassador told Lukens, who was still deputy mission director at the time, that Trump wanted to host The Open at his Turnberry resort in Scotland. Johnson asked which British government officials he could speak to to make that happen, the source said. Johnson brought it up again with Lukens on another occasion not long after, the source noted, and in both cases Lukens told Johnson not to bring the matter up with government officials, as doing so would be unethical.
In a meeting with David Mundell, the UK cabinet minister who at the time was Scotland’s highest-ranking British government official, Johnson raised the matter, according to the source, who was briefed on the meeting. A UK government spokesman said Johnson “made no request” regarding any sporting event during that introductory meeting.
“The former Scottish Secretary of State had an introductory meeting with the United States Ambassador in early 2018. A number of issues were discussed, reflecting the close cultural and economic ties between Scotland and the United States. Mr. Johnson did not make any requests to Mr. Mundell about the British Open or any other sporting event, “the spokesman said.
When asked if Johnson ever raised the possibility of hosting sporting events on a Trump property during any other conversation with Mundell, the spokesman said that, according to his records, he had not done so.
It is unclear whether Johnson raised the issue of hosting The Open at Trump Turnberry with other officials or in other cases.
Mike Woodcock, Director of Corporate Communications at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, or The R&A, which hosts The Open, told CNN that Turnberry remains in the course group to host the tournament. The course in north west Scotland hosted The Open in 2009, years before Trump bought the resort in 2014.
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