{"id":18337,"date":"2025-04-09T15:59:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T15:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/the-trump-envoy-who-got-close-to-the-worlds-coolest-dictator\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T15:59:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T15:59:08","slug":"the-trump-envoy-who-got-close-to-the-worlds-coolest-dictator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/the-trump-envoy-who-got-close-to-the-worlds-coolest-dictator\/","title":{"rendered":"The Trump Envoy Who Got Close to the \u2018World\u2019s Coolest Dictator\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Soon after he took up his post in El Salvador, U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson forged an unusually close relationship with the country\u2019s president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">President Trump had nominated Mr. Johnson in 2019 as his ambassador to the country shortly after the White House declared war on El Salvador\u2019s notoriously violent gangs, including MS-13.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The relationship between Mr. Johnson and the Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele, was close enough that it worried some officials. The two posted <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nayibbukele\/status\/1221643169529520130\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">photos<\/a> on social media of their families spending weekends together and tweets highlighting their \u201c<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/USAmbSV\/status\/1172352520896831489\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">personal friendship<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That bond remained firm even in 2020 when the Salvadoran president was accused of secretly colluding with local gangs, seven current and former officials said. Mr. Johnson defended him and publicly dismissed a letter from U.S. Republican congressmen raising concerns about the claim.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Then, without clear reason, a U.S. Embassy staff member investigating the government\u2019s potential ties to the gangs was sent home early.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The ambassador\u2019s actions seemed to contradict the interests of the Trump administration, argued three current and former American officials who worked directly with Mr. Johnson. He appeared more focused on protecting a foreign leader, the officials said, than on dismantling the Salvadoran criminal organizations operating both there and within the United States.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Now Mr. Johnson has been tapped again by President Trump, this time to be the U.S. ambassador to Mexico. His nomination is expected to go to a Senate vote on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In an emailed response, Mr. Johnson described his relationship with Mr. Bukele as \u201ccordial,\u201d something short of the bond suggested by posts like one showing them eating crab together, wearing grins and giant bibs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Johnson also said he was committed to dismantling Salvadoran gangs. \u201cThe dismantling of the vicious MS-13 gang, and other Salvadoran gangs, began during my tenure and it continues today under the leadership of President Trump,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The White House did not respond to a request for comment, but clearly Mr. Trump was supportive enough of Mr. Johnson\u2019s performance in El Salvador to offer him a new \u2014 and more significant \u2014 post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As a veteran military and C.I.A. officer, Mr. Johnson had a long career stretching from Latin America to Asia, but his stint in El Salvador, from September 2019 until January 2021, was his only diplomatic post.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mexico is a much bigger assignment, a key U.S. trading partner, and Mr. Johnson will arrive there at one of the tensest chapters in the country\u2019s relations with the United States.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump has threatened to send troops into Mexican territory to destroy the country\u2019s drug cartels, which <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/12\/us\/politics\/state-dept-terrorist-designation.html\" title=\"\">his administration recently designated<\/a> as terrorist organizations. Mexico\u2019s president warns that any unilateral American military action would be a violation of sovereignty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Johnson\u2019s experience with covert C.I.A. operations may be why he was picked for the ambassadorship, those close to him say, to defend a policy he knows well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cHis experience as a Green Beret and a seasoned C.I.A. officer in Latin America and elsewhere means he knows the issues, on defense security and especially counter terrorism,\u201d said Mick Mulroy, a senior Pentagon official in the first Trump administration and a friend of Mr. Johnson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Yet during his time in El Salvador, two U.S. Embassy staffers and two senior American diplomats said they warned Mr. Johnson that he and his wife were getting too close to Mr. Bukele, but that the ambassador brushed off those concerns. Mr. Johnson even told colleagues he was the godfather to Mr. Bukele\u2019s oldest daughter, according to two former diplomats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Johnson denied receiving such warnings and that he was the godfather of Mr. Bukele\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Bukele created a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/USAmbSV\/status\/1351529677358305280\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">national award<\/a> for Mr. Johnson just before he departed as ambassador, which remains El Salvador\u2019s highest honor and has only been given twice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">While cultivating relationships is part of the job for diplomats, they are typically discouraged from forging personal ties with politicians in the countries where they serve, out of a concern that those bonds could be used to manipulate them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe need our ambassadors to have a close relationship with heads of state, but we need to make sure they are serving the interest of the American people first,\u201d said Eric L. Olson, an analyst on Central America.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Johnson also clashed with his staff over the involvement of his wife, Alina Johnson, in diplomatic affairs, according to three American officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The ambassador would sometimes introduce Ms. Johnson as his \u201cco-ambassador\u201d in official meetings, confusing Salvadoran officials, according to two U.S. Embassy officials and a local businessman who met with them. Mr. Johnson would also sometimes reject the embassy\u2019s official translator to instead have his Cuban-born wife translate formal meetings for him, according to two embassy staffers. His wife also told embassy staffers that she weighed in on Salvadoran legislative affairs with Mr. Bukele, they added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Johnson denied those claims and said his wife was \u201cwell aware of a spouses\u2019 role\u201d in his response to The New York Times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In 2020, Mr. Bukele was accused by the Salvadoran media outlet El Faro of secretly colluding with the country\u2019s gangs, agreeing to give perks and better treatment to imprisoned gang members, like visits from prostitutes and cellphones. In exchange, the report said, the gangs would reduce homicides and give their support to Mr. Bukele\u2019s party in the coming election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Such negotiations would violate Salvadoran laws, which classified the gangs as terrorist organizations and prohibited politicians from negotiating with them. When Mr. Bukele became president in 2019, he vowed he would go hard on the gangs, like no leader before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The El Faro investigation challenged Mr. Bukele\u2019s tough-on-crime message.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It also caught the attention of six Republican congressmen, who wrote a scathing letter to the Salvadoran president saying they were \u201ctroubled by reports that the government of El Salvador could be legitimizing MS-13.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Bukele dismissed the letter on <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/arpas.org.sv\/2020\/09\/no-representan-ni-el-3-bukele-a-congresistas-de-ee-uu-que-le-han-enviado-cartas\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">national television<\/a>, saying the U.S. representatives who signed it \u201cdon\u2019t represent 5 percent or 3 percent of Congress.\u201d Mr. Johnson echoed Mr. Bukele, underscoring that the letter was signed by a \u201csmall portion\u201d of Congress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Shortly after, El Salvador\u2019s attorney general raided the bureau of prisons, seizing hard drives, log books and CCTV footage, according to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/reports\/2021-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices\/el-salvador\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">media reports at the time<\/a>. Pressure was building on Mr. Bukele as it seemed Salvadoran and U.S. prosecutors were preparing separate indictments to prosecute his government, according to two American officials.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That is when an American diplomat investigating allegations of a secret deal with the gangs was abruptly sent back to the United States, according to U.S. and Salvadoran officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">When he landed in Washington, the diplomat was told that both the Salvadoran government and his own boss, Mr. Johnson, had wanted him out of country, according to three people who debriefed the diplomat upon his return.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cGiven what we know about the nature of the Bukele administration and its dealings with the gangs, to send someone home in the midst of their work on an investigation like that would be disruptive,\u201d said Mark Feierstein who worked under several American administrations since the 1990s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Last month in a Senate committee <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foreign.senate.gov\/hearings\/nominations-03-13-2025\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">hearing<\/a>, Mr. Johnson said the U.S. official investigating the administration\u2019s relationship with the gangs was dismissed because he was having \u201cunauthorized meetings\u201d with journalists, but provided few details. Mr. Johnson denied having anything to do with the decision and said he had \u201cdeferred to his boss\u201d on whether to send the diplomat home, without elaborating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-9\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In his response to The Times, Mr. Johnson said he had \u201cneither dismissed or professionally penalized U.S. Embassy staffers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-10\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But three of the diplomat\u2019s superiors were upset that he was sent home early, according to people who spoke with them at the time. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The ousting of the American diplomat sent a chill through both the U.S. Embassy and the Salvadoran investigative unit probing allegations of government collusion with the gangs, American officials said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">After that, Mr. Bukele\u2019s government seemed to hinder U.S. efforts aimed at dismantling Salvadoran gangs. In November 2021, the government secretly freed a top MS-13 leader from prison, despite a U.S. extradition request, according to a Justice Department detention order reviewed by The Times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-11\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Bukele\u2019s government did not respond to questions for this story but has previously denied links to the gangs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Officials wonder why Mr. Johnson was such a defender of Mr. Bukele.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Some contend that Mr. Johnson\u2019s judgment was skewed by friendship. Others point to Mr. Bukele\u2019s success in lowering homicides across El Salvador, which had been dubbed the murder capital of the world before killings dropped 45 percent from 2019 to 2020.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Still others point to Mr. Bukele\u2019s <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/09\/20\/us\/politics\/us-asylum-el-salvador.html\" title=\"\">deal with the first Trump administration<\/a> to require Central American migrants traveling through El Salvador to seek refuge there instead of the United States, signed weeks after Mr. Johnson arrived. According to two former American officials, the ambassador regularly told embassy staffers not to pursue any projects that may upset Mr. Bukele and jeopardize the agreement, which he said was an important bilateral achievement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Johnson\u2019s tenure as ambassador ended in January 2021, when President Biden was sworn in. The following month, Mr. Bukele\u2019s party won a majority in Congress and swiftly dissolved the Salvadoran investigative unit looking into the gang negotiations. That affected a separate Justice Department investigation, according to two former American officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Still, in December of that year, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/news\/press-releases\/jy0519\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned<\/a> two senior Salvadoran officials after its own investigations concluded they had orchestrated covert agreements with gang leaders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-12\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A few months later, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/27\/world\/americas\/el-salvador-gang-violence.html\" title=\"\">any agreement between the gangs and the government seemed to collapse<\/a>, leading to a killing spree in the country\u2019s capital that left dozens of people dead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The government quickly imposed a state of emergency that remains in place today, mobilizing police and the military forces to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/28\/world\/americas\/el-salvador-gang-violence-bukele.html\" title=\"\">carry out mass arrests<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Although no longer holding any public office, Mr. Johnson continued to advocate for Mr. Bukele, even as Mr. Bukele started referring to himself <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2021\/sep\/26\/naybib-bukele-el-salvador-president-coolest-dictator\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">as the world\u2019s \u201ccoolest dictator.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Johnson ratcheted up <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xU05zxohGZg\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">support for him during his re-election last year,<\/a> according to a friend of Mr. Johnson and an American official. This included enlisting notable Republicans like <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DonaldJTrumpJr\/status\/1796976764193013761\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Donald Trump Jr. to attend the inauguration<\/a>. (Legal scholars say Mr. Bukele <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/02\/04\/world\/americas\/election-el-salvador-bukele.html\" title=\"\">violated his country\u2019s constitution<\/a> by running again).<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Last month, the Trump administration sent migrants to El Salvador as part of a new deal to house suspected Venezuelan and Salvadoran gang members in El Salvador\u2019s mega prison. As part of the agreement, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/17\/world\/americas\/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-deportees.html\" title=\"\">Mr. Bukele has pressed Washington<\/a> to return MS-13 leaders in U.S. custody to El Salvador, though only one has been sent back one so far.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIf the U.S. sends back MS-13 leaders to El Salvador, it would be a disaster for ongoing Justice Department investigations into the gangs and the deals they struck with Bukele\u2019s government,\u201d said Mr. Olson, the analyst. \u201cBukele has every interest in making sure that their information isn\u2019t used in U.S. court cases or prosecutions and he will lock them up and throw away the key.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Gabriel Labrador<!-- --> contributed reporting from San Salvador. Alain Delaqu\u00e9ri\u00e8re contributed research.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/09\/world\/americas\/ronald-johnson-ambassador-el-salvador.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soon after he took up his post in El Salvador, U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson forged an unusually close relationship with<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18338,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[4345,114,5751,1489,4251,542,2335,413,4346,113],"class_list":["post-18337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-bukele","tag-donald-j","tag-el-faro","tag-el-salvador","tag-gangs","tag-latin-america","tag-mara-salvatrucha-ms-13","tag-mexico","tag-nayib","tag-trump"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Trump Envoy Who Got Close to the \u2018World\u2019s Coolest Dictator\u2019 - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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