While on an official trip to Bogotá last summer, Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego stayed out until the wee hours of the morning partying at a club and asked multiple embassy staffers to join him, despite warnings from the U.S. Embassy in Colombia that they had identified a credible threat to his life, four sources with knowledge of the incident told NOTUS.
Gallego and Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno were on a congressional delegation to Colombia in what Gallego’s officesaidwas an effort to “strengthen bilateral relations, as well as discuss organized crime, the business climate, and China’s growing influence in the country.” His behavior during the trip, however, raised concerns among U.S. officials.
At the conclusion of the August trip, embassy staff received what they believed to be a credible report that there was a threat to Gallego’s life. They notified Gallego’s security detail and sent additional security to discuss the matter. The Arizona Democrat was at a dinner at the time and, after some discussion, decided to stay out, three of the sources told NOTUS. Following dinner, Gallego walked to a nightclub, a source said.
While at dinner and the club, Gallego and his chief of staff messaged employees at the embassy to come meet up with them, one U.S. official, a former U.S. official and three other sources briefed on the matter told NOTUS. At least one female embassy employee told her State Department colleagues she received a message from Gallego asking her to come out. It is unclear if any employees went out with him, and there are no allegations that Gallego engaged in inappropriate behavior with any embassy staff member.
A source close to Gallego said the two men were simply trying to get people together at the conclusion of the CODEL.
Gallego eventually left the club and arrived back at his hotel around 3 a.m., the sources said.
Later that morning, when a bus that was scheduled to take Gallego and others to the airport was set to leave, his chief of staff had to get a key to his room to get him and take him to the bus, the sources said. The source close to Gallego added that it’s standard procedure for the chief of staff to conduct a wake up call which involves knocking on his door and retrieving him upon departure.
“The U.S. Department of State does not confirm or deny the existence of any internal investigations,” a State Department official said in a statement. A spokesperson for Moreno, who was not at the dinner or the club, declined to comment.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Gallego said that the senator had “coordinated closely with embassy security throughout the trip, including on the evening in question, and followed all security guidance.”
“While at dinner at the conclusion of a successful congressional delegation trip, the Senator and his Chief of Staff invited Embassy staff to join them, a common way to recognize the work of those who support these visits,” the spokesperson continued. “As one of the first Colombian-American Senators elected to Congress, Senator Gallego was proud of the work done in Colombia and looks forward to continuing efforts to strengthen U.S. ties in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Source: Drudge Report
