White House, GSA officials had sex atop GSA headquarters, and the IG's scolding was remarkably bureaucratic


In March 2018, the inspector general for the federal General Services Administration released its findings on a complaint that acting GSA chief of staff Brennan Hart and a White House official whose name is redacted had sex on the roof of the GSA headquarters, after having some vodka drinks in Hart's office, according to a copy of the report obtained by D.C. NBC affiliate WRC through a public records request.
Hart, who was also an associate GSA administrator, admitted to having sexual relations with the White House official on the roof just one time, in the summer of 2017, and his last day of employment was March 12, 2018, four days after the report was submitted. The GSA inspector general found several violations of federal policies, including drinking alcohol in the office without proper permission and improper use of government facilities. And the IG office's report included this explainer in its section on "Sexual Conduct on Government Property":
Per 5 C.F.R. § 2635.704(a) an employee has a duty to not allow the use of Government property for anything other than authorized purposes. Having sex in the central office building is not an authorized purpose for use by the public. Further, there is no law or GSA regulation that allows an employee to have sex in the building. [GSA Inspector General report]
Now you know.
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The GSA is an independent agency that oversees federal buildings and offices. The unidentified White House official refused to be interviewed.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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