Rep. Bush Joins Rep. Johnson Letter on Colombia VP Security Concerns
Washington D.C. (Jan. 13, 2022) — Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) joined Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) – along with seven colleagues – in sending a letter to Francisco Palmieri, Chargé D’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, expressing concerns after explosives were discovered near Colombia Vice President Francia Márquez’s home this week.
“We are deeply concerned about the safety and security of Vice President Francia Márquez. Vice President Márquez is someone whom many of us have worked with for more than a decade prior to her entering government,” the members wrote. “We are eager for an update on how the U.S. Government is seeking to support the Colombian government in ensuring the safety and security of Vice President Francia Márquez and defending democracy and the rule of law in Colombia.”
Additional members who signed the letter include Reps. Barbara Lee (CA-12), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Mark Pocan (WI-02), and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14).
Read the full letter HERE.
This past August, Congresswoman Bush joined a congressional delegation to Colombia alongside Congressman Jesús ‘Chuy’ García (IL-04.) and Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chair of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, where they met with local leaders and activists to discuss the United States’ critical partnership with Latin America. During this trip, Congresswoman Bush met Vice President Francia Márquez, to discuss more about their recently-elected progressive government's commitment to implementing a historic platform rooted in racial, social, and environmental equity. Vice President Francia Márquez is the first Afro-Colombian Vice President.
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