US-Colombia relations took a turn for the worse Thursday with both sides recalling their top envoys and the South American country’s foreign relations minister quitting unexpectedly.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Chargé d’Affaires John McNamara back to Washington for urgent consultations, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Thursday. She cited “baseless and reprehensible statements” from the highest levels of the Colombian government, without elaborating on what these were.
Since the US doesn’t currently have an ambassador to Bogota, McNamara is the most senior US official in the country.
Colombia has historically been Washington’s most reliable ally in ...