WASHINGTON (AP) — Top officials of the General Services Administration are telling employees they have a duty to report incidents of wasteful spending like the lavish $823,000 agency conference held at a Nevada resort.

In a joint email Wednesday, acting administrator Dan Tangherlini and Inspector General Brian Miller promise there will be no retaliation against anyone reporting improper conduct and government waste.

The email says the October, 2010 conference, investigated by Miller, displayed a disturbing lack of judgment and common sense. The conference gave out awards for entertainment videos by GSA employees, including a rap song that made fun of the lavish spending.

The email said one of the more troubling aspects of this incident was that people didn’t report the improper conduct to superiors or take action to stop it.

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