By Sama Marwan,
The U.S. State Department has announced it is recalling John McNamara, its top diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, to Washington for “urgent consultations,” following controversial remarks by Colombian President Gustavo Petro that cast doubt on the U.S. stance regarding allegations of an attempt to remove him from office.
The State Department stated that the recall was “in response to baseless and unacceptable comments made at the highest levels of the Colombian government,” according to a report by the Associated Press on Friday.
For his part, President Petro has recalled Colombia’s ambassador to Washington, Daniel García Peña, indicating his desire to discuss progress on bilateral priorities between the two countries.
Later, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed via the platform X (formerly Twitter) that the United States remains committed to its bilateral relationship with Colombia, focusing on shared security and stability concerns.
This tension comes in the context of an investigation launched by the Colombian Attorney General’s Office into an alleged coup attempt, reportedly led by Petro’s former Foreign Minister, Álvaro Leyva. A Spanish media report claimed Leyva tried to enlist support from certain members of the U.S. Congress to exert pressure on Petro.
President Petro, writing on X, declared that there was an “attempted coup” and called on U.S. authorities to investigate the matter, further complicating relations between the two countries at a sensitive time.
