IG memo: State Dept. officials squashed embarrassing probes

State Department officials have squashed internal investigations involving the use of prostitutes and sexual assault by agency employees, according to an internal memo obtained by CBS News.

The memo from the inspector general’s office points to eight cases where investigations from the department’s Diplomatic Security Service were “influenced, manipulated or simply called off,” according to CBS. At least several of them came under the leadership of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

{mosads}The memo highlights allegations that Clinton’s security detail had an “endemic” habit of hiring prostitutes on trips abroad, that a State Department official in Beirut sexual assaulted foreign embassy guards and that an “underground drug ring” near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad supplied State Department contractors with drugs.

“Hindering such cases calls into question the integrity of the investigative process, can result in counter-intelligence vulnerabilities and can allow criminal behavior to continue,” states a draft OIG report obtained by CBS.

The Diplomatic Security Service (DS) was already on the hot seat over security lapses prior to last year’s terror attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi. Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Eric Boswell resigned and two mid-level officials were put on administrative leave.

The memo follows a February 2013 OIG audit that concluded that the Diplomatic Security Service “lacks a firewall to preclude the DS and Department of State hierarchies from exercising undue influence in particular cases.” The audit also found that the Diplomatic Security Service “does not have a comprehensive, up-to-date manual with approved policies and guidelines on how to conduct investigations.”

“Inspectors heard repeated complaints that two unresolved procedural issues, both beyond DS control, hinder investigators’ ability to pursue cases effectively,” the report said.

The State Department told The Hill that “it goes without saying that the Department does not condone interference with investigations by any of its employees.”

“Depending on the facts, an investigation may result in administrative action or criminal charges, or it may be concluded without further action. Not all allegations are substantiated,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in an email. “To protect the integrity of investigations, as well as employees’ due process and privacy interests, the Department will not comment about specific allegations of misconduct, internal investigations or personnel matters.”

The OIG told The Hill that its Office on Investigations “on its own initiative” has been conducting an “independent” review of the allegations brought forward by the OIG’s Office of Inspections.

“OIG wants to emphasize the sensitive nature of OIG inspection information, particularly when it pertains to individuals and may be incomplete or contain unverified, raw data,” OIG spokesman Douglas Welty told The Hill. “Fairness and due process preclude OIG from further comment.”

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