US says it takes seriously reports of misbehavior by its envoy to Singapore

A guest wears U.S. and Singapore flags prior to the arrival of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the White House in Washington, U.S., August 2, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/ File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Friday said the U.S. government was taking seriously an internal watchdog report that the U.S. ambassador to Singapore threatened his staff and failed to submit about $48,000 in travel expenses on time or with proper documentation.

Ambassador Jonathan Kaplan, a political appointee, had poor relations with some Singaporean ministries and was often unprepared on issues, the State Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) said in a report.