WASHINGTON - United States Ambassador to Singapore Jonathan Kaplan had “poor relationships” with some Singapore ministries, impeding America’s diplomatic goals, according to an official watchdog report.

“Multiple embassy sections noted that the ambassador developed poor relationships with some Singaporean ministries,” said a February 2024 report by the State Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) that was released on March 1.

In some cases, this hurt progress on diplomatic goals, the report noted, and it recommended further review of his conduct and performance.

Ambassador Kaplan said he took full responsibility and promised to address concerns raised in the report.

“I stand by the work of the State Department OIG,” he said in a statement. “My team and I take full responsibility for quickly addressing the concerns and recommendations found in the report.”

The OIG conducts congressionally mandated inspections of US embassies every five years, although the last inspection of the Singapore post appears to be from 2012.

The report’s findings were based on review of documents, surveys and interviews of embassy staff, and observations of embassy meetings and activities.

According to the report, the ambassador “often was unprepared on issues and made statements that were counterproductive to a section’s work”.

“The ambassador’s many projects frequently were unattainable, diverted the embassy’s limited resources and detracted from the staff’s ability to perform core duties. Staff also questioned the utility of some projects in promoting US interests in Singapore,” it said.

The embassy staff told the OIG they saw the need for the ambassador to conduct more meetings at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). But Mr Kaplan told OIG that MFA meetings were “unproductive, with only an exchange of talking points and no real discussions”.

The report also found that the ambassador had limited contact with Singapore’s traditional media. 

He had held only two press events since his arrival in Singapore, one of which was off the record, the report said.

“The ambassador told OIG there was no need for him to deal with Singapore’s traditional media, and he preferred to use social media,” it said.

He appeared indifferent to the embassy’s social media priorities and focused instead on the number of followers on his official Instagram account, which, as at March 2023, had 825 followers, it added.

Mr Kaplan, the inventor of the Flip video camera and the founding chief executive of The Melt, a chain of fast-casual restaurants, arrived in Singapore in December 2021.

He reportedly donated more than US$100,000 (S$134,000) to Democratic campaigns in the 10 years before being appointed. This was his first diplomatic appointment.

In other findings, the report said the ambassador spent almost US$10,000 on unauthorised consulting expenditures, US$48,000 on outstanding travel fees and US$27,000 on securing a piano for his acquaintance to play for an event on board a visiting US Navy ship.

It also said the ambassador “did not model integrity, plan strategically, collaborate or communicate”.

An example cited was his idea to show the 2022 Super Bowl for free to outdoor public audiences, despite Singapore’s limitations on outdoor events because of Covid-19, the lack of popularity of American football in Singapore and the cost to the embassy to put on the event. He blamed the staff when the event could not be arranged. 

Although the ambassador claimed morale had improved under his leadership, embassy staff spoke of “fear, and even direct threats, of reprisal” from Mr Kaplan.

“They described his mannerisms with personnel as belittling and intimidating,” the report said.

The OIG is responsible for detecting and investigating waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement of the State Department’s resources. Its report may attract criticism for the entrenched American practice of rewarding campaign donors and political allies with ambassadorships.

A State Department spokesperson told The Straits Times that the OIG report is being taken seriously.

The Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and the US Embassy in Singapore concurred with the OIG’s recommendations, and the embassy in Singapore has already instituted significant organisational and procedural changes that are intended to address them, the official said.

“The recommendations are focused on ensuring that the US is best positioned to advance our excellent relationship with the Government of Singapore.”