Top park official who told a coworker a story about peeing is cleared of sexual harassment charges

Investigators cleared National Park Service (NPS) deputy director P. Daniel Smith of committing sexual harassment when he simulated urinating while telling a story, according to the Inspector General (IG). The IG for the Department of the Interior (DOI) began investigating Smith after an anonymous letter alleged the deputy director “touched himself obscenely” and spoke vulgarities in front of coworkers, according to The Washington Post. “Smith and another NPS employee recalled Smith telling a story while they were standing in the hallway together, but they denied that Smith touched himself obscenely or used any vulgar language,” a Thursday summary of the IG’s report stated. “Smith acknowledged he gestured with his hands to simulate urinating while telling a story and stated that in hindsight the story and the gesture were not appropriate for work,” the summary continued...MORE