TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An investigation conducted by the United States Inspector General at the State Department uncovered numerous sex scandals involving state officials and diplomats. This confidential report was made public by CBS News reporter John Miller earlier this week.
John Miller's report revealed efforts to influence or manipulate this scandal in order to cover up misappropriate behavior. One of the major cases in the report included the results of a 2011 investigation revealing an ambassador suspected of patronizing prostitutes at a public park. He also allegedly solicited sexual favors from underage prostitutes.
Sources told CBS News that after the allegations surfaced, the ambassador was called to Washington D.C. to meet with Undersecretary of State of Management Patrick Kennedy, yet he was permitted to resume his post afterwards. Although CBS never mentioned the name of the ambassador, last Tuesday the New York Post revealed the diplomat to be Howard Gutman, the United States Ambassador to Belgium.
Gutman immediately denied these allegations. He asserted that his home located near a park in Brussels has never been used as a location for promoting prostitutes.
On a separate occasion, the State Department promised to further investigate the issues contained in the report. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki revealed her department will recruit former law enforcement officials to help with this investigation. Without speaking about specific cases, Psaki described any misconduct as "hardly endemic".
Aside from the alleged case of the ambassador in Belgium, the State Department also cited eight other major cases such as allegations that a State Department security official in Beirut "engaged in sexual assaults" on foreign nationals hired as embassy guards. Some members of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s security details were also accused of engaging in prostitutes during official trips in foreign countries.
CBS | REUTERS | SITA PLANASARI AQUADINI
