WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after the Trump administration abruptly dropped the U.S. government’s drug trafficking case against Mexico’s former defense minister, Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos:
“After four years of President Trump’s empty boasting that he stands for the rule of law, his term ends with his administration once again turning a blind eye to the facts and selling out U.S. national security interests. For someone who launched his entire presidency by conjuring xenophobic images of druglords running amok along the U.S.-Mexico border, there is no explanation for Attorney General Barr’s decision to abruptly drop drug trafficking charges against General Cienfuegos. Cooperation with the Mexican government is essential for upholding our national security, and those bilateral ties must be built on common respect for our own rule of law and due process. Attorney General Barr risks undermining that faith in the U.S. justice system and encouraging impunity at the highest levels in Mexico.
“Attorney General Barr and Secretary Pompeo must immediately provide Congress and the American people details surrounding this opaque deal.”
###