Clinton has morals after all, he just applies them to others and not himself!!
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washtimes.com
During Lewinsky affair,Clinton fired envoy for sex
misconduct
By Jerry Seper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
President Clinton fired the ambassador to Eritrea last year
for sexual misconduct with two U.S. Embassy
employees, according to a confidential report obtained by The
Washington Times.
At a time when Mr. Clinton was involved in an
"inappropriate" sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky and
had been accused by two other women of making crude sexual
advances, he recalled Ambassador John F. Hicks.
The reasons for Mr. Hicks' recall from his post in Asmara,
Eritrea --located on the Red Sea between Sudan and Ethiopia
-- have not previously been made public.
The firing followed complaints to the State Department from
two embassy secretaries that he
-- Continued from Front Page --
repeatedly groped, kissed, fondled, touched and called them at
their homes despite numerous requests that he leave them
alone.
Mr. Hicks, a Clinton appointee, reportedly told one of his
accusers, who is white, that she rejected him because he was
black.
State Department spokeswoman Linda Topping Thursday
declined comment, citing federal privacy concerns.
White House spokesman James Kennedy also declined
comment on Mr. Hicks' recall. He had been named by Mr.
Clinton to the ambassadorship in May 1996.
Mr. Hicks, a native of Goldsboro, N.C., was a career
member of the Senior Foreign Service, having served 22 years
with the U.S. Agency for International Development. The
Silver Spring, Md., resident did not return calls left on a
telephone-answering machine at his home.
The report by the State Department's Office of Inspector
General, a copy of which was obtained late Wednesday by
The Times, said a lengthy probe, which included interviews of
embassy officials in Washington and Asmara, confirmed the
accusations and concluded Mr. Hicks' conduct "violated
standards for continued employment ... in that [he] clearly
showed poor judgment and lack of discretion."
The 26-page inspector general's report, marked "personnel
sensitive," said accusations against Mr. Hicks were referred in
May 1997 by the State Department to the U.S. Attorney's
Office in Maryland for criminal prosecution under federal
sexual-abuse statutes. Two months later, the U.S. Attorney's
Office opted to decline prosecution "in favor of administrative
action" by the State Department, the report said.
During an interview with the Inspector General's Office, Mr.
Hicks admitted he tried to kiss one of the secretaries, but only
to show his affection. He denied any other improprieties and
told investigators his relationship with the second woman was
"strictly professional."
He said calls he made to the second woman at her home
were "of a social nature" and denied ever improperly touching
her.
In the course of the interview, the report said, Mr. Hicks
blamed subordinates for the investigation, saying they had
persuaded the women to "fabricate stories against him as part
of a concerted effort to undermine his leadership and ruin his
career."
The report dismissed Mr. Hicks' claim that one of the
women rejected him because of his race. "She told him race
had nothing to do with it; she did not want a relationship with
him because she loved her husband," the report said.
Investigators concluded the accusations were valid and Mr.
Hicks had created "an intimidating, hostile and offensive work
environment which had the effect of unreasonably interfering
with both of these women's work performance."
"Ambassador Hicks' behavior was both severe and
pervasive in creating a hostile work environment for these
women. It was unwelcomed, repeated, unsolicited and clearly
of a sexual nature," the report said.
Mr. Hicks' recall came at a time that Mr. Clinton was
having sexual relations in the Oval Office complex with Miss
Lewinsky, then a 22-year-old White House intern. He also
faced sexual misconduct charges in a suit filed by former
Arkansas state employee Paula Jones and accusations by
former White House volunteer Kathleen E. Willey, who said he
made a crude sexual advance on her in the Oval Office.
Mr. Clinton has acknowledged having an inappropriate
relationship with Miss Lewinsky, but has denied accusations by
Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Willey.
The inspector general's report said Mr. Hicks' sexual
misconduct began in January 1997 and continued through April
1997 and that the two secretaries were reluctant to report it
because of his position.
Both women were interviewed by investigators over several
hours during two-day periods and signed sworn affidavits
saying Mr. Hicks had made unwanted sexual advances.
Investigators described their testimony as "compelling and
consistent" and said their information had been corroborated
by interviews with other embassy officials and documents
obtained in the investigation, including numerous telephone
records.
The report said Mr. Hicks:
Fondled one of the secretaries by rubbing her back and
buttocks, embraced her with his arms and tried to kiss
her on the mouth during a meeting in his office. He then
became emotional, saying, "Baby, baby, oh baby." The
secretary pushed him away and left.
Grabbed the same secretary during another office
encounter, rubbing her buttocks and inviting her to sit on
his lap. When she declined and tried to leave, he put his
arms around her from behind and she could feel "he was
in an excited state with an erect penis."
He then kissed her, saying, "baby, baby," moved his
hand under her skirt and underwear and touched her
vagina with his fingers. At that point, she told
investigators she was "frozen with fear" and it took "all of
her strength" to push him away.
Called the second secretary numerous times at her home
in Asmara to ask her to come to his office late at night or
to tell her, "Good night, my love, sleep tight."
Caressed that secretary's arm, while telling her he
needed a "hug." At one point, he tried to kiss her in a
hallway of the embassy, although "she shielded her face
from him" and requested he "stop and let her go."
Asked the second secretary "what would it take for him
to get her away from her husband," and after agreeing to
meet with him for a car ride "to make it clear to him she
did not want a sexual relationship," had to push him off
her when he made a pass.
Mr. Hicks told investigators it "never occurred to him" his
conduct "might have been creating an intimidating environment
for these subordinate employees."
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