ADVERTISEMENT
DEA officials working in Mexico have seen their diplomatic immunity revoked, Cruz alleged, and been forced to disclose highly sensitive information.
“United States’ diplomats and officials should utilize their voices and the influence of the United States to make it clear to the Mexican government that attacking or undermining the DEA is unacceptable, and that such action calls into question the strength of the U.S.-Mexican relationship, which might have to be reevaluated, Cruz said Wednesday.
His letter comes as Mexican lawmakers are considering a bill that would force any state, local or federal official to seek permission from a high-ranking security panel before meeting with agents of foreign governments, including the U.S., and submit a report based on the interaction afterwards.
The State Department did not identify the person with whom Pompeo came into contact, nor the timing of the incident, but the secretary canceled an in-person speech Tuesday evening at a State Department holiday party, The Washington Post reported.
Less than 70 people attended the event, according to the Post, which was hosted for family members of diplomats serving at dangerous posts overseas.
ADVERTISEMENT
The event was one of a number of parties Pompeo and his wife Susan Pompeo had planned to host over the holiday season and drew pushback from Democrats and the American Foreign Service Association while raising concerns among invited guests over safety risks tied to COVID-19.
The Biden transition team deferred comment to the State Department.
The closed-door meeting would come a few days after the Electoral College confirmed Biden’s victory, despite the president’s refusal to concede. Biden has widely been considered the president-elect since Nov. 7.
Pompeo previously received backlash for saying that he was getting ready for “a second Trump administration” after every major network and the AP projected Biden as the next president.
ADVERTISEMENT
The meeting signals the increasing acknowledgement among Republicans and the administration that Biden won and Trump’s election challenges in the courts are unlikely to reverse that.
The secretary of State has said “we’ll make this work” in reference to the Biden transition and expressed an openness to meeting Biden’s team, according to CNN.