The U.S. Senate has confirmed Mexico’s new ambassador, voting 49 to 46 along party lines to approve former CIA officer Ronald Johnson.
His confirmation comes as some are becoming increasingly concerned that the United States would take unilateral military action against cartels in Mexico.
During his committee hearing last month, Johnson said his first choice would be to work with the country, but he didn’t rule out military action without buy-in from Mexico.
“I know that President Trump takes very seriously his responsibility to safeguard the lives of U.S. citizens, and should there be a case where U.S. citizens are at risk, I think all cards are on the table,” Johnson told senators.
Johnson served as ambassador to El Salvador during Trump’s first term. He was also questioned during the committee hearing about his close relationship with that country’s president, Nayib Bukele, during this time as ambassador. Bukele has agreed to imprison deported migrants from the U.S. in past months, and has been accused of human rights abuses during his years-long crackdown on gangs in the Central American country.
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen asked Johnson about an Amnesty International investigation that found Bukele was surveilling journalists using the spyware program Pegasus. Johnson said he was unaware of Bukele’s surveillance of civil society while ambassador.
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