MIAMI (AP) — When Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno visits Colombia this week as part of a three-nation tour of Latin America, it will be something of a homecoming.
Ohio’s first Latino senator, who defeated an incumbent last year with the help of Donald Trump’s endorsement, was born in the Colombian capital of Bogota, and even as he was chasing the American dream, he kept close tabs on the country through older brothers who are heavyweights in politics and business there.
Moreno, 58, has emerged as an interlocutor for conservatives in Latin America seeking to connect with the Trump administration.
In an interview with The Associated Press ahead of the trip, he expressed deep concern about Colombia’s direction under left-wing President Gustavo Petro and suggested that U.S. sanctions, higher tariffs or other retaliatory action might be needed to steer it straight.
The recent criminal conviction of former President Alvaro Uribe, a conservative icon, was an attempt to “silence” the man who saved Colombia from guerrilla violence, Moreno said. Meanwhile, record cocaine production has left the United States less secure — and Colombia vulnerable to being decertified by the White House for failing to cooperate in the war on drugs.