HONOLULU — U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye on Friday criticized a video in which a Hawaii-based federal employee sings about all the government money he would spend if he was commissioner of the federal agency overseeing government office space and historic
HONOLULU — U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye on Friday criticized a video in which a Hawaii-based federal employee sings about all the government money he would spend if he was commissioner of the federal agency overseeing government office space and historic preservation.
“I saw the video produced by the Hawaii General Services Administration office, and I must say it was not in good taste,” the Hawaii Democrat said in a statement.
Inouye said the video — in which Hank Terlaje is shown strumming the ukulele and rapping about buying field offices everything they can’t afford — wasn’t indicative of his experience with the agency.
The video won an award at a conference and training session the agency had near Las Vegas in 2010.
The agency is under scrutiny this week after the inspector general released a report concluding the agency improperly paid for the meeting, which featured a mind reader and lavish after-hour receptions in resort suites for federal workers.
The 300-person event at the M Resort Spa and Casino in Henderson, Nev., included a $95-per-person dinner and reception as well as various violations of federal laws and policies.
The agency’s head, Martha Johnson, resigned Monday in response to the report.
The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee posted the video on YouTube on Thursday.
Terlaje referred questions to GSA public affairs officers when reached by telephone at his office in Honolulu. Greg Mecher, an agency spokesman, also criticized the video.
“This video is another example of the complete lack of judgment exhibited during the 2010 Western Regions Conference. Our agency continues to be appalled by this indefensible behavior, and we are taking every step possible to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,” he said.
