IG report: Ex-housing agency director Watt misused position
Posted Feb 15, 2019 3:14 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WASHINGTON — Mel Watt, the former director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, misused his position when he attempted to coerce a female employee of the agency to engage in a personal relationship with him, according to a report from the agency’s inspector general.
The report finds that Watt, who stepped down as director last month, misused his official position in an attempt to obtain a personal benefit and was also not candid in answering questions about the incident.
Watt, who served for 21 years as a congressman from North Carolina before taking the FHFA job, says in a response included in the report that he strongly disagreed with the findings.
The IG report was released this week in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by The Washington Post.
Martin Crutsinger, The Associated Press
