US recalls top diplomat in Colombia as tensions with President Petro escalate

The Trump administration on Thursday recalled its top diplomat in Colombia for "urgent consultations" after recent comments from Colombia's president appearing to question the US position on an alleged plan to remove him from office.

The US State Department said Thursday that the charge d'affaires at the US embassy in Bogota, John McNamara, would be returning to Washington "following baseless and reprehensible statements from the highest levels of the government of Colombia." Colombian President Gustavo Petro responded in kind, recalling Colombia's ambassador to Washington for consultation. He said he wants to talk to Amb. Daniel García Peña about progress on Colombia's priorities in the bilateral relationship.

US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in statement that the administration would also be "pursuing other measures to make clear our deep concern over the current state of our bilateral relationship." The statement did not elaborate on the reasons for the recall.

Petro has grappled this week with an apparent effort by current or former members of his administration to push him from office.

Colombia's Attorney General's Office said Tuesday that it had opened an investigation into a plan allegedly led by Petro's own former Foreign Affairs Minister Alvaro Leyva. Spanish newspaper El Pais had published audio recordings over the weekend that appeared to contemplate such a plan.

Leyva had allegedly approached some US lawmakers to rally international pressure on Petro.

On Wednesday, Petro said on X that there had been an attempted coup and he called on the US justice system to investigate.

"The other times that they have wanted to kill me the previous US administration helped me," he wrote. "From here on, Bolivar's sword follows its libertarian path, and the energy of the light and vibrant people. And the US government?"

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