WASHINGTON — The U.S. ambassador to Belgium on Tuesday denounced what he called “baseless allegations” that he solicited sexual favors in a Brussels park.
“I live on a beautiful park in Brussels that you walk through to get to many locations, and at no point have I ever engaged in any improper activity,” said Howard Gutman, who has held the post for four years.
Gutman’s name has emerged in connection with an internal memo from the U.S. Department of State’s inspector general that claimed senior State Department officials quashed eight different internal investigations of wrongdoing in the diplomatic corps.
According to the memo, one of the investigations concerned “possible criminal behavior involving the ambassador to Belgium.”
“The agent determined that the ambassador routinely ditched his protective security detail in order to solicit sexual favors from both prostitutes and minor children. The ambassador’s protective detail and the embassy’s surveillance detection team (staffed by host country nationals) were well aware of the behavior,” the memo said.
In his statement, Gutman said, “I am angered and saddened by the baseless allegations that have appeared in the press, and to watch the four years I have proudly served in Belgium smeared is devastating.”
The State Department adamantly= denied that any allegations of questionable or illegal behavior by diplomats have been covered up, and said that any proven wrongdoing would be punished administratively or prosecuted criminally.
