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Not exactly, Kurt. The letter did not mention the alleged crotch-grabbing at all: it did not deny it or apologize for it, just omitted it. The letter apologized for the "story ... inappropriate for the workplace", inappropriate behavior in a public hallway, a "hallway conversation".
I can see how you might read it that way, tomp2, but readers unfamiliar with the story need to know what the allegation was and what Mr. Smith was apologizing for. Obviously he knows that his actions, not what he was telling Mr. Frost, were at the crux of the matter.
Time to move on. He apologized. The dude has a target on his back. No one should be subjected to an article in the Washington Post before an investigation is completed.
I wasn’t there I don’t know the specifics but walking the halls of any DOi offices these days is not enjoyable. Everyone needs to watch their backs!!
Just a comment. Can we put the OIG report from the C and O Canal to rest. It is old news and everyone has moved on. Give the guy a break.
MF, as a volunteer at C&O, I'd say that the legacy of actions by Dan Smith and other park managers (who are still there from the days of the OIG report) still linger. It would be nice to move on but some of the same issues remain.
It appears to me that this man has only hiked from one high roller office to the next in and around Capitol Hill. Hope his canteen wasn't full of scotch.
MF--
I wasn't there, either. I agree: let's move on, although I wish the apology letter actually mentioned the alleged crotch & penis grabbing that was the reason for the complaint. Old guard guys tell such stories to each other, sorta an odd but widespread ritual. [Wildlife biologists tell worse/funnier (to them anyway) stories usually involving other species' behaviors, but they tend to know when & where it is and is not ok to do so.] I also wish the "acting with delegated authority" de facto NPS director was smart and aware enough to know not to tell such stories in Eye St. or Main Interior, but you go to work each day with the leaders you have, not the leaders you wish you had.
Maybe they can include this incident in the next bout of mandatory DOIlearn anti-harassment training? Or else make Mr. Smith actually take that training?
What a colossal waste of time and resources. Sounds more like someone with an axe to grind or looking for an excuse to be offended over nothing.
The Trump Administration should never have appointed Daniel Smith as Acting NPS Director. He should have remained in retirement. The C&O Canal incident is not just old news, and the OIG Report of Smith's misconduct in granting an illegal favor to a billionaire should have been in itself disqualifying. Rob Danno, then the Chief Ranger at C&O took the ethical route and had his career, up to then exemplary, ripped from him. The crude behavior which Smith has been accused of, and his half-apology, reinforce the perception from the OIG Report of a manager unfit to lead. The Trump Administration has not appointed a permanent director for any of the principal Interior Agencies (NPS, BLM, USFWS). All have acting directors 18 months into the current Administration. This is a disgrace, and a disservice to the public and the DOI's employees.
If you want to destabalize and then destroy a federal bureaucracy then not appointing permanent leadership is a good way to go.