Rep. Chris Smith is currently serving his thirty-ninth year as a Member of Congress from New Jersey, and was the immediate past chairman of the House Subcommittee on Global Human Rights. He issued the following statement on the decision by Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales to expel the United Nations anti-corruption entity, CICIG, from Guatemala:

“I understand and support the decision of Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales to terminate the mandate of CICIG. Under Commissioner Ivan Velazquez, CICIG abused its mandate and became a political protagonist meddling in the internal politics of Guatemala.  It also abetted activities by Russian State actors to pursue vendettas against Russian emigres there, as illuminated by a hearing I chaired in April 2018. CICIG’s problems are of its own making, and I again call upon the State Department Inspector General to investigate why members of our State Department turned a blind eye towards the abuses of CICIG and the role played by Russia.”