State Department Says Ambassador Spends Too Much Time On Religious Writing

AP reports that yesterday the State Department's inspector general released a report (full text) critical of U.S. ambassador to Malta, Douglas Kmiec. The report says that Kmeic spends too much time writing and speaking on extraneous subjects.  AP says these have included writing and speaking on his religious beliefs and issues such as abortion. This detracts from  his attention to core mission goals such as maritime security and promoting American business.  While Kmiec is widely respected in Malta, apparently embassy staff is unhappy about the amount of time they have to spend reviewing his writing. Kmiec says he has a special mandate to promote President Obama's interfaith initiatives. Before being confirmed as ambassador, Kmiec was on the faculty of Pepperdine University Law School. From 2001-03 he was dean at Catholic University's law school. [Revised]