State Department officials berated staff, labeled some ‘traitors,’ report says

Washington CNN — Top officials in the State Department’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs subjected employees to “disrespectful and hostile treatment,” accusations of disloyalty, and retaliation, a long-awaited report from the department’s watchdog agency found. ‘Six to eight hostile interactions per day’ “Although some IO employees reported that they had never witnessed Assistant Secretary Moley or Ms. Stull behave unprofessionally, the majority of employees OIG interviewed either directly experienced hostile treatment or witnessed such treatment directed at others,” the report said. “In fact, one IO employee told OIG that working with Ms. Stull involved ‘six to eight hostile interactions per day.’” Stull left the department in January 2019; Moley remains in his post. “For example, several career employees reported that throughout her tenure at the Department, Ms. Stull referred to them or to other career employees as ‘Obama holdovers,’ ‘traitors,’ or ‘disloyal,’” the report said. “Other career employees told OIG that Ms. Stull accused them of being part of the ‘Deep State’ and that the Assistant Secretary accused them of ‘undermining the President’s agenda.’” In one instance, the report noted, Stull “expressed displeasure” with a legislative affairs employee accompanying a delegation of the Congressional Black Caucus “because it consisted of only Democratic members.” Stull accused the employee “of trying to ‘thwart’ President Trump and undermine his agenda” and many of the employee’s job responsibilities were reassigned.