Eleven U.S. Democrat representatives demand the White House investigate far right-wing Colombian candidate Abelardo de la Espriella over alleged ties to paramilitary groups and shell companies in Florida.

U.S. Democrat congressmen requested on June 19 a formal investigation into Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella regarding his alleged financial fraud and ties to paramilitary organizations.

The official letter, sent directly to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, arrives exactly two days before Colombia conducts its crucial presidential runoff election.

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The congressional group characterizes the professional and financial background of the far right-wing lawyer and businessman as deeply unsettling. They strongly argue that the U.S. Government must examine his past activities under domestic law rather than actively endorsing his political campaign in South America.

Specifically, the legislators demand that federal agencies scrutinize the historical relationships between Abelardo de la Espriella and the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC). The U.S. Government officially designated this right-wing paramilitary federation as a terrorist organization in 2001 due to its extensive record of Human Rights abuses during the Colombian armed conflict.

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The document reveals that the candidate maintained close relationships with top paramilitary leadership, acted as their defense attorney, and established Fipaz, an organization financed by the AUC to expand its political reach.

Additionally, the congressional petition requests a thorough federal audit to trace the exact origin of the candidate’s private family assets and potential financial ties to money-laundering suspect Alex Saab. Public records indicate that Abelardo de la Espriella and his wife remain closely connected to at least 14 shell companies registered in the state of Florida. The lawmakers assert that these corporate entities were utilized to complete real estate transactions worth millions of dollars using funds of unclear origin, which could violate U.S. federal anti-money laundering regulations.

National Sovereignty Violated

The Democrat coalition openly denounces what they describe as a blatant, unprincipled intervention by the Trump administration in the sovereign Colombian electoral system. Republican officials and prominent party figures have publicly endorsed Abelardo de la Espriella, who is currently competing against left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda for the presidency. According to the document, this direct political pressure from Washington violates international law and undermines democratic norms across the hemisphere.

The letter concludes by demanding an immediate, verifiable end to any political interference by U.S. officials in the sovereign electoral process of the South American nation. The congressmen emphasize that such actions directly contradict long-standing principles of national sovereignty and non-intervention. Furthermore, they warn that the Colombian far right-wing candidate poses a significant security threat to long-term regional stability and to the strategic interests of the United States in the region.

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