U.S. Prosecutors Are Investigating Colombia President Gustavo Petro
U.S. Prosecutors Investigate Colombia’s President, a Onetime Trump Foe
The Justice Department is examining whether President Gustavo Petro of Colombia has ties to drug traffickers.
Listen
President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, who has had a volatile relationship with President Trump, is under criminal investigation by at least two U.S. federal prosecutors’ offices, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.
The investigations, which have not been previously reported, were being conducted by the U.S. attorney’s offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and they have involved prosecutors who focus on international narcotics trafficking as well as agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, the people said.
The inquiries have been exploring, among other things, Mr. Petro’s possible meetings with drug traffickers and whether his presidential campaign solicited donations from traffickers, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss active investigations.
The investigations, which are separate, are in their early stages, and it is unclear if any of them will result in criminal charges.
There was nothing to indicate that the White House had a role in initiating either investigation.
But Mr. Trump, who has frequently wielded criminal inquiries as a cudgel against his rivals and enemies, has harshly criticized Mr. Petro, calling him a “sick man.” And he could use the investigations as leverage in seeking more cooperation from Colombia, which is both the world’s top producer of cocaine and one of America’s most crucial allies in cracking down on narco-terrorism in the region.
Mr. Trump could also use the existence of the investigations to try to influence the outcome of Colombia’s presidential elections in May. Mr. Petro, his country’s first left-wing president, is limited to one term but has asked supporters to rally behind his handpicked successor. Over the past year, Mr. Trump has weighed in on several other elections in the region, helping fuel a right-wing wave.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
No comments:
Post a Comment