WASHINGTON — Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) have asked President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to send a US delegation to Colombian president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella‘s inauguration next month to show “solidarity” and offer “needed transition support” following claims of fraud by the South American nation’s outgoing leader.
Espriella is set to be sworn in Aug. 7 following his narrow victory over Iván Cepeda in the second round of balloting June 21.
While Cepeda conceded defeat June 24, left-wing Colombian President Gustavo Petro has charged that the election was compromised by the US and Israel.
“President Petro’s claims of election fraud are, of course, nonsense, and multiple observers have assessed the election was conducted transparently while fully complying with Colombian law,” wrote Cotton and Moreno.
“Petro is simply seeking to place his hand-chosen successor in power by alleging election interference,” they added. “Petro’s actions endanger Colombia’s peaceful democratic transition and potentially jeopardize our relationship with the country.”
“A strong, democratically elected Colombian government is central to continuing your work to enhance regional security across issues such as combatting illegal immigration and narcoterrorism,” they also wrote.
Trump, Rubio and Members of the State Department’s Shield of the Americas have all publicly congratulated Espriella after his win.
Espriella has suspended the transition process and accused Petro of conspiring to stage a coup and remain in power.
“As president-elect, I call on Colombia’s armed forces to honor their oath to protect the Constitution and democracy and to disobey any orders from Petro to the contrary,” Espriella said in a video posted last week on social media, in which he asked for other nations to monitor the transfer of power.
The tough-on-crime candidate had bested Cepeda by more than 250,000 votes, adding to the rightward shift of governments across Latin America — highlighted by the election of Argentine President Javier Milei in 2023.
Despite conceding the race, Cepeda had claimed Espriella needed to renounce his US citizenship before assuming office.
“If these conditions of legality are not met, as the leader of the opposition, I will embark on the path of peaceful civil disobedience that implies not recognizing the authority of someone who will not defend our national sovereignty,” Cepeda has said.
“Both of your personal congratulations and prompt recognition of Mr. de la Espriella after his election win in June sent a strong message of support to the newly elected Colombian government,” wrote Cotton and Moreno.
“We ask that you continue that support by making it clear that the United States government will participate in the peaceful transition to the presidency of Abelardo de la Espriella.”
“The Trump Administration looks forward to working closely with [Espriella’s] incoming administration to advance our bilateral and regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United States, and strengthen the economic ties between our two countries,” a State Department spokesperson told The Post Tuesday.
