US President Joe Biden’s top science adviser has apologized after an internal investigation found he was “demeaning” to subordinates
US President Joe Biden’s top science adviser, Eric Lander, bullied and demeaned dozens of White House staffers since joining the administration, according to audio recordings from an internal investigation first reported by Politico.
The two-month investigation found “credible evidence” that Lander, who is director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), was “bullying” to staff members, including OSTP general counsel Rachel Wallace.
The investigation also found numerous instances of female staffers complaining about Lander speaking “disrespectfully” to them, especially in front of colleagues.
“The investigation found credible evidence of instances of multiple women having complained to other staff about negative interactions with Dr. Lander, where he spoke to them in a demeaning or abrasive way in front of other staff,” Christian Peele, the White House’s deputy director of management and administration for personnel, reportedly said in an audio recording outlining the investigation’s findings.
According to Rachel Wallace, Lander “retaliated against staff” – even claiming he demoted her – when they spoke up about problems, and he would allegedly take to “calling them names, disparaging them, embarrassing them in front of their peers, laughing at them, shunning them, taking away their duties, and replacing them or driving them out of the agency.”
She added that numerous women who have worked with the man “have been left in tears, traumatized, and feeling vulnerable and isolated.” The investigation concluded he had violated the White House’s ‘Safe and Respectful Workplace Policy,’ though Peele said in a recording that no gender bias was found.
Lander sent an email on Friday to staffers, reportedly after learning about Politico’s reporting. The official apologized for his behavior and said he had not “lived up to” his responsibility to “set a respectful tone for our community.” He promised regular forums to discuss employee and employer relationships going forward.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed an investigation had been conducted and said senior officials had directly spoken to Lander about his behavior. A number of “corrective actions” were required of Lander, “which the White House will monitor for compliance, moving forward,” she added.
Biden promised on the day of his inauguration to have a no-nonsense policy when it came to a toxic work environment in his administration, promising to fire anyone “on the spot” if he found they “treat another colleague with disrespect” or “talk down to someone.”
Lander is currently scheduled to appear before the House Committee on Health and Human Services biomedical research subcommittee on Tuesday to speak on an unrelated matter. He is also the leader of the ‘Cancer Moonshot’ initiative, which is aimed at lowering cancer deaths in the US.
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(Image credit: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)
The captain of one of the vessels said the detention was “unfortunate,” but “actually quite expected”
Two Crystal Cruises ships, which have been on the run over huge unpaid fuel bills, were arrested by the authorities in the Bahamas on Friday, the media reported.
The Crystal Symphony and the Crystal Serenity vessels were taken into custody near Freeport, according to the Cruise Law News and The Insider.
There were only crew members aboard during the seizures, as hundreds of passengers had earlier disembarked the ships in Bimini, which is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland US.
A video posted on Twitter has allegedly captured the captain on the Crystal Symphony informing his sailors about the detention of the vessel.
“The ship has been placed under arrest by the local authorities over some unpaid bills, and as bad as it sounds it’s actually quite a good thing to happen,” he’s heard saying in the clip.
The seizure was “unfortunate,” but “actually quite expected,” the captain said, adding that it wasn’t going to affect the movement of the crew in any way.
Crystal Symphony Captain announcement addressed to the crew. The cruise ship has been arrested in Freeport, Bahamas. Crystal Serenity was also arrested in Freeport. pic.twitter.com/cdBNyHf4s5
The embattled operator of the ships, Crystal Cruises, said it couldn’t comment on “pending legal matters at this time” when asked about the arrest by The Insider.
The company only said that both liners had completed their voyages and that the crew members aboard were “being cared for” and have been paid in full.
The Crystal Symphony was supposed to dock in Miami on January 22 after a 14-day cruise in the Caribbean. But the ship diverted from its course and headed for Bimini in order to avoid a US arrest warrant.
Earlier in February, the Crystal Serenity also made its way into the Bahamas after being denied entry to Aruba.
A US judge had earlier ordered the seizure of the ships after a civil lawsuit filed by Peninsula Petroleum Far East against its operators, Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises, which are owned by Genting Hong Kong Ltd.
The company claimed that Genting Hong Kong owed it $4.6 million in unpaid fuel fees, with $1.2 million from this sum referring to the Crystal Symphony’s operations.
Last month, Crystal Cruises announced that they’ll be pausing their oceanic cruises until late April “due to current business environment and recent developments with our parent company, Genting Hong Kong.”
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