Smithsonian Official Accused of Misspending $90,000

A confidential report by the Smithsonian Institution’s inspector general found that Lawrence M. Small, the Smithsonian’s top official, charged $90,000 in unauthorized expenses from 2000 to 2005, reports The Washington Post.

“Many transactions were not properly documented or were not in accordance with Smithsonian policies,” wrote A. Sprightley Ryan, acting Inspector General, in a report to the Smithsonian Board of Regents Audit and Review Committee. The report was not released to the public, but the newspaper obtained a copy.

The committee dismissed the findings, and the board called Mr. Small’s expenses “reasonable.”

Mr. Small declined, through a spokeswoman, to be interviewed by the Post.

The inspector general’s report raised issues with a trip to Cambodia for Mr. Small’s wife, chartered jet travel, personal lunches, catered dinners for staff members, and high-cost gifts to donors and employees.

The audit report noted that Mr. Small’s total expenses had been about $850,000 since 2000.

Sen. Charles Grassley, Republican of Iowa, sent a letter last week to the chairman of the Board of Regents, writing that he is “shocked at what the Smithsonian is spending its money on when it comes to food, flowers, alcohol and other items.”

He criticized “what appears to be an ‘anything goes’ culture by the Smithsonian secretary and his staff, which views that his champagne lifestyle should be subsidized by the taxpayer.”

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