A State Department whistleblower alleged that an Inspector General's report accused Gutman of soliciting prostitutes and minors for sex while serving as Ambassador, but that Undersecretary of State Patrick F. Kennedy ordered it removed from the report.[22] Gutman denied the accusations as "baseless" and the State Department adamantly denied that any allegations of questionable or illegal behavior by diplomats have been covered up, and that any proven wrongdoing would be punished administratively or prosecuted criminally.[23] On June 11, 2013, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney confirmed that the allegations were under active investigation by an independent inspector general.[24][25][26] Despite these allegations, Ambassador Gutman served his full term, including representing the United States at the invocation of the new Belgian King on July 21, 2013.[27] On June 21, 2013, the White House announced Denise Bauer as the new nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to Belgium.
After his completion of service, when he was free to talk, Ambassador (Rtd.) Gutman appeared on a popular Belgian talk show, Reyers Laat (nl), and addressed the allegations and "nonsense" towards the end of his ambassadorship and explained his recollection of the events in question.[27] Finally, in October 2014, the State Department investigation cleared Ambassador Gutman and the State Department issued the following Statement in apology: "The Inspector General's report makes clear there was no wrongdoing and that the allegations wrongfully leaked from internal OIG documents were in fact unsubstantiated. It can't erase the pain these leaks caused those public servants who were falsely accused, but it does vindicate them and puts an end to a painful chapter for many. Most importantly, the report concludes there is 'no systemic problem' in the Department's investigations. The irresponsible leaks did not occur on the watch of this Inspector General, but we appreciate that he has brought this difficult story to a conclusion."[28][29][30][31]
"CBS acquired an inspector general's memo leaked by Diplomatic Security Service agent Aurelia Fedenisn. She says that despite having shown her direct superiors that State Department higher-ups were interfering with DSS cases, her findings were never acted upon and the cases that had been interfered with were not revisited.": Howard Gutman: Prostitution Wasn't Even the Worst Thing State Department Covered Up