Through his X account, the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, right-hand man of President Donald Trump, publicly referred to the case of former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, who was sentenced this afternoon for crimes associated with bribery in criminal proceedings.
"Former Colombian President Uribe's only crime has been to fight tirelessly and defend his homeland. The instrumentalization of the Colombian judiciary by radical judges has set a worrying precedent," the US Foreign Minister stated on social media, expressing the US government's rejection of the ruling.
Former Colombian President Uribe's only crime has been to tirelessly fight and defend his homeland. The weaponization of Colombia’s judicial branch by radical judges has now set a worrying precedent.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 28, 2025
These statements come amid tensions between the White House and the government of Gustavo Petro, which has led several voices to claim that Washington could impose tariffs on Colombia in retaliation for the conviction of Uribe, a case that already occurred in Brazil due to the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
In that case, Donald Trump himself imposed a 50% tariff on all Brazilian products, in addition to an investigation into trade practices and visa restrictions for Supreme Court (STF) judges involved in the case, which sparked a heated dispute with the South American country's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Despite this, the former president remains under house arrest.
President Gustavo Petro spoke out against US congressmen who have asked Donald Trump's administration to take the same measures if Uribe were found guilty, as was ultimately the case."Colombia is not blackmailed," the president asserted through his X account.
One of the voices calling for tariffs against Colombia was Colombian-American Senator Bernie Moreno, who spoke out on the matter two weeks ago."Colombia needs to stop using its judicial system as a weapon against former President Álvaro Uribe. It's a very dangerous path for someone who should be one of the United States' main allies in Latin America," he said on social media. Moreno spoke out again this afternoon in support of Álvaro Uribe."Colombia is one step closer to illegitimacy. We've already seen this happen in Venezuela," said the congressman, who has been one of the legislators closest to Donald Trump.
“I will lead a bipartisan delegation of senators and senior government officials to reaffirm our commitment to Colombia and its great people. It is not too late, and Colombia can emerge stronger than ever,” the congressman said at the X meeting.
