Smithsonian Official Resigns After Admitting Destroying Meeting Transcript

August 9, 2007 - 3:48pm — birdie

The scandal at the Smithsonian continues, according to the New York Times.

James M. Hobbins, who served as executive assistant to the secretary of the Smithsonian destroyed the minutes from a January Board of Regents meeting in which the board discussed the compensation package of Lawrence M. Small. Small later resigned as secretary in March after an investigation into his housing allowance and other personal expenses that were covered by the institution.

The Washington Post reported Mr. Hobbins's resignation and the destruction of the document yesterday. A Smithsonian spokesperson, Linda St. Thomas, emphasized that Mr. Hobbins, a 40-year veteran of the Smithsonian, had destroyed the initial transcripts of such board meetings as a matter of course since the 1980s, once the full formal minutes were prepared.