The statement was released after Gregory W. Meeks—the ranking Democrat on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee—questioned De la Espriella for expressing his support for Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar.

In a public statement, Meeks noted that the leader’s interference in the campaign leading up to the midterm elections jeopardizes the historic bipartisan support that has sustained the relationship between Colombia and the United States.

  In addition to emphasizing that it is exclusively up to the citizens of the northern nation to decide who represents them in Congress, he called on the Colombian head of state to stop commenting on US domestic politics.

He stated that his country’s Congress would be monitoring the situation closely.

  “It is unacceptable for a foreign leader to meddle in US elections,” Meeks remarked.

  De la Espriella voiced his support for Salazar, who is running for re-election to represent Florida’s 27th District in the House of Representatives.

“Colombia’s best friend in the US Congress is Maria Elvira Salazar; she has always been there and has always defended Colombia,” the president affirmed in a video released by the congresswoman.

  Ivan Cepeda, the opposition leader in the Colombian Senate, noted on X that Salazar had previously faced issues for exceeding campaign finance limits and that one of his donors was Abelardo de la Espriella, a lawyer for drug traffickers.

“De la Espriella’s servility knows no bounds, and sooner or later, he will have to answer for it.

  Earlier this year, Democratic lawmakers sent a letter highlighting past issues that warrant investigation regarding the assets of the man who defended drug traffickers and their organizations in the United States,” the senator emphasized.

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