Coincidence? US ambassador named in State Dept. scandal to be replaced

**Posted by Phineas

A case of “where there’s smoke, there’s fire?” Via The Weekly Standard, we learn that Obama has nominated a new ambassador to Belgium:

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

  • Denise Bauer – Ambassador to Belgium, Department of State

Now why, you may ask, is an ambassadorial appointment to a minor ally worthy of our notice? Well, think back about two weeks or so to an item that flared brightly, but briefly, amidst all the other scandals embroiling the Obama administration and touched the current ambassador:

A [Diplomatic Security] agent was called off a case against US Ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman over claims that he solicited prostitutes, including minors.

“The agent began his investigation and had determined that the ambassador routinely ditched his protective security detail in order to solicit sexual favors from both prostitutes and minor children,” says the memo.

“The ambassador’s protective detail and the embassy’s surveillance detection team . . . were well aware of the behavior.”

Undersecretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy ordered the investigation ceased, and the ambassador remains in place, according to the memo.

Gutman was a big Democratic donor before taking the post, having raised $500,000 for President Obama’s 2008 campaign and helping finance his inaugural.

This was part of a larger article in the NY Post detailing sex and drug scandals (1) in the State Department under then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a scandal in which the whistleblower is claiming she is being threatened.

To get back to Ambassador Gutman, is it just a coincidence that he’s leaving soon after being named in a salacious scandal? According to his Wikipedia entry, a Belgian newspaper mentioned his tour ending early last May. But the whistleblower, Aurelia Fedensin, retired from State in December, 2012. It was her report, reportedly bowdlerized by Undersecretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy and Cheryl Mills, Hillary’s then Chief of Staff, that exposed Gutman’s “hobby.”

Call me cynical and suspicious, and this may just be a normal rotation, but doesn’t this look an awful lot like easing someone out the door who’s very embarrassing, after a decent interval to sweep things under the rug?

Not that cover ups would ever occur under Obama and Clinton. *cough!* Benghazi *cough!*

Huh. Must’ve had something caught in my throat.

Footnote:
(1) I know, I know. Sex, drugs, and the Clintons. Who would ever believe that?

(Crossposted at Public Secrets)

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