ATF: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco — and Feng Shui?

Another ignominious end for a member of the Bush Administration.

The director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives finally announced his resignation Friday, just ahead of revelations that he went seriously overboard planning his agency’s new headquarters.

As the Washington Post reports today, the Justice Department’s Inspector General is expected to release its findings from a six-month probe of Carl J. Truscott’s involvement in the new HQ project.

It sounds like Truscott became a little tired of ATF business and became obsessed with creating The Ultimate Director’s Suite:

Sources familiar with the project told The Washington Post earlier this year that Truscott planned to buy, among other things, nearly $300,000 in extras for the new director’s suite, including a $65,000 conference table and more than $100,000 worth of hardwood floors, custom trim and other items.

These sources described Truscott as overly focused on the building’s details, from soap dishes to tile colors, and said he wasted valuable time with innumerable project meetings and field trips to the site.

And you can add to that a rather cute abuse of power — marshaling the resources of the federal government for a homework assignment:

Justice investigators have also questioned ATF employees … about allegations that ATF staff members helped assemble a school video report for a young relative of Truscott’s, according to officials interviewed in the probe who declined to be identified for fear of retaliation.