U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa Scott Brown admitted on Wednesday that he is under investigation by the State Department for making inappropriate comments during a Peace Corp event in Samoa earlier this year.

"Through rumor and innuendo, Gail and I have heard there's an inquiry about my conduct while I was in Samoa," Brown told New Zealand media, alongside his wife.

Brown said he is under investigation for comments made at a reception, where he told attendees that they looked "beautiful" and that they should work for the hospitality industry.

"When we walked into the Peace Corp event we walked in and there was a receiving line and prior to walking they were all, like, dirty and grungy," Brown said.

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"We walked in and everyone was dressed to the nines. They all looked great, Gail looked great, you know, I was dressed up and Gail and I both walked in and said, 'You guys are beautiful, you look really handsome sir, you guys are great.' And apparently somebody took offense to that," he continued, adding, "Gail and I did say it, absolutely."

The former Massachusetts senator went on to say that his advisors informed him of his remarks' impact.

"I was, in fact, told by my people that, 'Listen, you know you're not Scott Brown from Ryan, New Hampshire anymore, you're an ambassador and you have to be culturally aware of different cultures and different insensitivities' and I'm always welcoming that kind of good advice," he said.

Brown, who was the first person to be appointed to an ambassadorship after President Trump took office, said he believed politics played a role in the incident.

"At this event there were a lot of people who didn't like the president," he said, adding, "Sadly it's politics and it is what it is."

This report was updated at 8:14 a.m.