ATF helped ex-director’s nephew with film

WASHINGTON – The man who recently departed as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ordered his staff to help with his nephew’s high school homework, wasting the agency’s time and violating ethics rules, an inquiry found Wednesday.

The nephew’s project – a documentary about the ATF that took 10 months to complete – was one of a half-dozen examples of lapses in judgment Carl J. Truscott committed before he resigned in August, says the report by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine.

The report found that only the high school project demonstrated mismanagement by Truscott, whose employees accused him of wasting federal funds, taking costly trips and creating a hostile work environment. Still, investigators described themselves as troubled by Truscott’s leadership, hiring practices and financial decisions.

An estimated 20 ATF employees were pulled in to help with the documentary, spending dozens of hours on research, pulling film footage from the agency’s library and setting up interviews with Truscott and other officials.

The nephew received an ‘A’ on the project, the report noted.