A certain scuffle broke out this Wednesday between the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the United States House of Representatives and the Colombian embassy in Washington regarding the decision of National Electoral Council (CNE) to open an investigation against the electoral campaign of President Gustavo Petro and some of those responsible, including Petro himself in his capacity as candidate.
According to the criteria of
Michael McCaul, Republican and head of this legislative body, published a tweet on the social network X in which he declared himself “deeply concerned about the credible accusations against Gustavo Petro and his presidential campaign.”
In the trill, McCaul adds that he “fully supports the Colombian institutions” in their effort to get to the bottom of the issue, warning that the “truth must be known” so that the integrity of the bilateral relationship is safeguarded and for the good of the Colombian people.
The message, of course, did not go down well at the Embassy, which has been headed since August by Daniel García Peña.
With its own message also on social networks, but linking to McCaul, the country’s representation in Washington He told the congressman that respect and defense of democracy are of the greatest importance not only for the country but for the president elected by the Colombians.
President Petro has a long history of public service as Representative, Senator and Mayor of Bogotá, always consistently defending the Constitution
“President Petro has a long history of public service as Representative, Senator and Mayor of Bogotá, always consistently defending the Constitution. In June 2022, he was elected president with the highest number of votes in Colombia’s history during an election that recorded the largest electoral turnout ever recorded. The peaceful transfer of power that followed reflected Colombia’s democratic strength,” the embassy said.
He then adds that current events in the country demand “a solid defense of both President Petro as the legitimate head and the integrity of our institutions, particularly Congress, which has the only constitutional authority to investigate the president.”
They close the comment by telling McCaul that, as president of the Foreign Relations Committee, they are sure “he shares the opinion that institutions and the role that corresponds to them must be maintained with the same vigor as democracy itself.”
Although the statement is in the same line as what the members of the Petro government have outlined – that the CNE overstepped its bounds since the only one that can investigate the president is the Commission of Accusations – contains several “spoofs”, apparently directed at the American political system and the controversy that still exists around the 2020 elections in this country.
As recalled, Donald Trump – then president and now candidate again – refused to accept the results of the elections, invoking non-existent fraud and caused, according to the prosecutors investigating him, the violent takeover of the Capitol in January 2021. .
Likewise, and despite the fact that Joe Biden’s victory was ratified by Congress, he did not participate in the peaceful transfer of power, refusing to attend the Democrat’s inauguration and blocking collaboration with the new government.
Additionally – it is inferred from the statement – the embassy seems to mention that, as in Colombia, In the United States, the only body that can investigate and judge the president while he is in office is Congress. Trump, in fact, was impeached and tried twice by the legislature during his years in the White House and only faced regular justice once he left the Oval Office.
In some way it can be read as a criticism of McCaul for asking for respect from the institutions and letting them investigate until the truth is known, when his own political boss – Trump – has classified the investigations carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office and other institutions in the country as persecution. policy.
But there also seems to be a contradiction in the criticism. By defending the role of institutions in democracy, in this case that of Congress as Petro’s natural judge, the statement ignores that the president appears to be doing something similar to what Trump has done when he attacks the prosecutors and judges investigating him. alluding to political motivations.
This is because both the Council of State and the Constitutional Court have made it clear in their respective rulings that the CNE can investigate the president’s campaign and impose administrative sanctions with the exception that any decision regarding the continuity of the mandate or criminal actions corresponds to it. to Congress and the Prosecutor’s Office.
SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Washington
#Colombian #Embassy #United #States #confronts #Republican #congressman #CNE #investigation #Gustavo #Petro