WASHINGTON — Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Susan Mashiko used a government-furnished car and driver as a “personal limousine service” during her tenure as deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office, according to a report by the Pentagon’s Office of the Inspector General.
A redacted version of the report, released Oct. 27, says Mashiko made personal use of the government vehicle more than 100 times and recommended that Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James “consider appropriate action” against Mashiko, who retired July 1.
The Office of the Inspector General received an anonymous tip in January 2013 about Mashiko’s use of the vehicle, including taking her to the dentist and routinely picking her up and dropping her off near her home within the vicinity of the Pentagon.
During an ensuing investigation, Mashiko testified along with other NRO employees that the agency had no written policy about the use of government vehicles for personal business. The inspector general found at least 14 trips for medical or dental appointments and 50 trips to local airports.
The NRO operates the nation’s spy satellites.
In 2011, an inspector general report accused Mashiko of making an illegal threat of retaliation against whistleblowers in a criminal contracting investigation.
