US ambassador 'developed poor relationships' with Singapore ministries, threatened embassy staff: State Department audit

SINGAPORE: A report by the US State Department's internal watchdog has revealed several shortcomings by the US ambassador to Singapore, including unauthorised spending and ineffective dealings with the Singapore government.

The audit by the Office of Inspector General found the Ambassador Jonathan Kaplan did not "model integrity, plan strategically, collaborate, or communicate" and recommended a review of his conduct and performance.

The report, dated February 2024 and released on Friday (Mar 1), also uncovered morale issues at the US embassy in Singapore, many of which the report directly attributed to Mr Kaplan.

Embassy staff cited by the report described fear and direct threats of reprisal from Mr Kaplan. Employees described his mannerisms as "belittling and intimidating" and also accused him of speaking "disparagingly about US government employees and the (State) Department".

On foreign policy, Mr Kaplan was said to have "developed poor relationships" with some Singapore government ministries to the extent that, in some cases, his actions "hurt progress" on State Department goals and objectives.

"Specifically, it was described that the Ambassador often was unprepared on issues and made statements that were counterproductive to a section’s work," said the report.

It described staff noting that Mr Kaplan ought to have held more meetings at Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to which the ambassador told the Office of Inspector General that such meetings were "unproductive with only an exchange of talking points and no real discussions".

The audit also found that Mr Kaplan had limited contacts with Singapore's traditional media. It said that at the time of inspection, he had held only two press events since arriving in Singapore in December 2021.

Mr Kaplan's response was that there was "no need" to deal with Singapore's traditional media and that he preferred to use social media. The report noted that his official Instagram account had 825 followers as of March 2023, a number that has since grown to 4,770.

SUPER BOWL VIEWING PARTY

The findings noted several irregularities related to embassy expenditure, including US$48,000 worth of travel expenses that had not been submitted for reimbursement or which lacked sufficient documentation for travel claims.

The report found that Mr Kaplan himself did not follow many policies for official travel. The ambassador was said to have bought flight tickets through channels that were not the embassy's appointed travel agent. He also flew unauthorised airlines, routes and classes.

In two examples - involving a Super Bowl viewing party and a piano on a US Navy vessel - the report noted the ambassador's failure to "plan strategically with regards to specific initiatives by developing and promoting attainable, shared goals".

Mr Kaplan had asked the embassy to explore a free outdoor public screening of the Super Bowl - American football's marquee event - in January 2022, despite existing curbs on outdoor events due to COVID-19 regulations, the general lack of interest in American football in Singapore and the cost involved. Employees told the Office of Inspector General that Mr Kaplan had continued to press for the event and blamed staff when it could not be held.

In January 2023, Mr Kaplan made the embassy organise an event on the USS Makin Island - an amphibious assault ship - that featured a concert pianist. The musician, a friend of Mr Kaplan, performed on a piano placed on the ship's deck. 

The reception was aimed at raising awareness about US policy on Ukraine and cost almost US$28,000. The event led to the embassy cutting funding for other public diplomacy programmes that "might have more effectively advanced US interests in Singapore", said the report.

AMBASSADOR'S RESPONSE

In response, Mr Kaplan said he and his team took "full responsibility for quickly addressing the concerns and recommendations found in the report". 

"I stand by the work of the State Department OIG (Office of Inspector General)," added Mr Kaplan in a statement to CNA.

Separately, a State Department spokesperson said the embassy in Singapore concurred with the report's findings and that it had put in place "significant" organisational and procedural changes.

"The president always wants his representatives ... to manage people with dignity and respect," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "He's comfortable that the State Department is taking this seriously."

Mr Kaplan was appointed by President Joe Biden in July 2021 to fill the ambassadorial left vacant by Mr Kirk Wagar, a Barack Obama appointee, who left in 2017. In that interim period, during Mr Donald Trump's presidency, the embassy in Singapore was led by a Charge d'Affaires.

Prior to his posting, Mr Kaplan had no government experience and was formerly the chief executive at Pure Digital, which invented the Flip Video pocket camera. The report noted that he was a "first time, non-career chief of mission".