State Dept clears Trump official of allegations of inappropriate comments on race

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EXCLUSIVE: The State Department's Office of Civil Rights cleared former Trump ambassador to the United Kingdom, Woody Johnson, from allegations of inappropriate comments regarding race, sex and religion, concluding they were "unsubstantiated." 

Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets, was accused of making inappropriate remarks in the workplace about race, religion and gender to staff at the U.S. Embassy London last year. 

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The State Department's office of inspector general, last August, issued a report, saying that embassy staff claimed Johnson "sometimes made inappropriate or insensitive comments on topics generally considered Equal Employment Opportunity-sensitive, such as religion, sex, or color." 

Johnson has vehemently denied the allegations, tweeting, at the time, that he had "followed the ethical rules and requirements of my office at all times. These false claims of insensitive remarks about race and gender are totally inconsistent with my longstanding record and values." 

New York Jets owner and chairman Woody Johnson speaks to reporters at the team’s NFL football facility in Florham Park, N.J, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Dennis Waszak Jr.)

But Fox News obtained correspondence from the State Department's Office of Civil Rights, dated Jan. 12, 2021 on Friday. The subject was "Inquiry re Robert Wood Johnson, Ambassador." 

The correspondence stated that "pursuant to the Department's Harassment Policies," an inquiry was conducted "into allegations of harassment regarding the above-named subject." 

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"There were three categories of allegations: race, sex, and religion," the correspondence stated. "After careful review of the evidence S/OCR concluded that the allegations against Ambassador Robert Johnson were unsubstantiated workplace harassment and, therefore, not a violation of [Harassment Policies]." 

"A formal memorandum of the inquiry, dated December 18, 2020, was sent to the appropriate Bureau," the correspondence read, and was signed by "Greg Smith." Smith is the director of the Office of Civil Rights and Chief Diversity Officer. 

The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment. 

Upon his return to the New York Jets, Johnson addressed the allegations, saying they were "looked at by the highest levels of the State Department." 

"The Office of Civil Rights conducted an extensive survey and all of the allegations and concluded that none of it was substantiated. None of it," Johnson told reporters Wednesday. 

Johnson said his wife, Suzanne, was "absolutely furious" about the allegations because "this goes against my history and everything I’ve done for my entire life." Johnson added that the accusations were "very, very hard on me to listen to all this stuff."

Johnson's tenure as ambassador officially ended in January after President Joe Biden assumed office. Johnson returned to the Jets shortly after, resuming his duties of overseeing the franchise.