Confirm Juan Rodriguez or terrorism will thrive

Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

Outsider Ambassador to Guatemala Can Combat Cartels

President Donald Trump’s hemispheric counterterrorism agenda is on the ropes. To save it, he must push for his nominee for ambassador to Guatemala, Juan Rodriguez, to be confirmed by the Senate.

Reports from Guatemala say Rodriguez has withdrawn his name. If correct, this is a result of deep-state treachery. Failure to reverse this will empower Trump’s domestic enemies to continue undermining his hemispheric agenda, for which Guatemala is key.

State Department (DOS) personnel, with help from their Democrat and fake-news partners, have worked hard to derail Rodriguez’s nomination. They do so to protect the anti-Trump, deep-state agenda. Illegitimate Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo is consolidating his power and undermining Trump’s agenda before the arrival of a new ambassador.

The New York Times reported in May that Arévalo, during a call with War Secretary Pete Hegseth, agreed to joint military operations in Guatemala. Arévalo denied it and said he lacked the legal authority. That authority has existed for more than 20 years.

Arévalo and his defense and interior ministers protect narcotrafficker routes through Guatemala. DOS officials advise Arévalo and have outwardly helped him despite evidence that Arévalo protects narcotraffickers and is a Trump detractor.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, according to the Washington Post, agreed to leave former Deputy Chief of Mission Patrick Ventrell in his post until May. This was after Trump ordered Ventrell’s recall.

The Post is reliable on this because it is a core fake-news outlet. The report paints the right as evil and the left as virtuous, ignoring the left’s criminality. The Post claims Ventrell helped avoid a right-wing coup in 2024 to have Arévalo sworn in.

Arévalo’s Semilla party had been judicially cancelled because of publicly proven registration fraud. Ventrell intimidated high-court judges into violating the law and inaugurating Arévalo. For the Post and its deep-state and Democrat partners, any crime is justified to defeat the evil right wing.

Besides registration fraud, public evidence of electoral fraud is overwhelming, and DOS actions and statements coincide with fraud. The Joe Biden regime broke the law to impose Arévalo on Guatemala, just as it did to try to keep Trump off the ballot and jail and bankrupt him.

Arévalo told Landau, according to the Post, that Ventrell was integral to keeping democracy intact. After praising Ventrell’s illegal intervention, Arévalo harshly criticized Ventrell’s successor, John Barrett, for his alleged intervention.

Apparently, backing a sham election is noble while pursuing the rule of law is grounds for firing. After Arévalo complained to Landau about Barrett, DOS removed him.

Ventrell complained about being removed six months before the normal three-year period, but Barrett was removed after only three months in the post. Since Barrett’s departure, Arévalo has committed crimes with abandon.

The Post said Arévalo was able to appoint a new attorney general “despite attempts to challenge the decision.” Arévalo’s appointee to the high court illegally failed to process multiple injunctions against the attorney general nominating commission. That meant Arévalo had no impediment and could make his own appointment. Arévalo’s new attorney general now protects the faux president and his magistrate from criminal responsibility for their crimes.

The deep state, Democrats, and fake-news traitors are fine with criminality. This is the coalition that is opposing Rodriguez to continue the criminality.

Ten days after Representative Maria Salazar (R-FL) called for Ventrell’s removal for illegally intervening in a Supreme Court election, Landau issued a statement favorable to Arévalo. One of Trump’s own appointees, therefore, was siding with a soon-to-be-fired deep stater and Arévalo. Landau’s bogus claims supported continuation of the anti-US Biden agenda.

Landau’s solid personal history is inconsistent with his positions toward Arévalo. DOS people who helped fraudulently make Arévalo president must hide the truth, lest it expose the deep state beyond Guatemala. Being expert liars, DOS insiders probably influenced Landau about Arévalo. Rather than buck the system, Landau went along with it and got stuck.

After almost eliminating the water route for narcotics, Trump is now concentrating on closing the land route. This would be easy to do in Guatemala: the last stop. However, narcotraffickers count on Arévalo with his deep state, Democrat, and fake-news partners.

Trump needs to order DOS’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INL) to implement rules of engagement similar to what made Plan Colombia successful. Unlike the War Department, INL has the ability to work with partner militaries, police, and prosecutors. Involving INL in Guatemala now would quickly energize counternarcotics operations.

Guatemala’s public would overwhelmingly support this because it would give them the security and opportunity they have been deprived of under the Biden regime. However, a career DOS ambassador will not do this. Only an outsider appointed by Trump, like Rodriguez, will do it.

Guatemala has accommodated the cartels because of career DOS officials. The anti-Rodriguez coalition has ganged up on him to continue this and undermine Trump.

Other Western Hemisphere countries see this. If the coalition succeeds and Trump does not support Rodriguez’s nomination, the message will be devastating for Trump’s policy. If, however, Trump immediately supports Rodriguez, the message will be devastating to the cartels and positive for Trump’s policy.

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Steve Hecht

Steve Hecht is a businessman, writer, and film producer, born and raised in New York. He has lived and worked in Guatemala since 1972. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master of Business Administration in Banking and Finance, both from Columbia University.