{"code":"27786","sect":"El Salvador","sect_slug":"el-salvador","hits":"622","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/en\/202503\/el_salvador\/27786","link_edit":"","name":"Ambassador Johnson: \u201cI don\u2019t doubt that Pegasus could have been used in El Salvador\u201d","slug":"ambassador-johnson-ldquo-i-don-rsquo-t-doubt-that-pegasus-could-have-been-used-in-el-salvador-rdquo-","info":"Ronald Johnson, ambassador to El Salvador from 2019 to 2021, told the Senate March 13 that he demanded that Bukele not spy on U.S. officials. \u201cI was not aware that they used Pegasus against anyone,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t doubt that it could have happened, but I was not aware of it.\u201d","mtag":"Politics","noun":{"html":"\u003Cspan class='tint-text--dark' data_href='\/user\/profile\/rgressier'\u003E Roman Gressier\u003C\/span\u003E","data":{"roman-gressier":{"sort":"rgressier","slug":"roman-gressier","path":"roman_gressier","name":"Roman Gressier","edge":"0","init":"0"}}},"view":"622","pict":{"cms-image-000041704-jpg":{"feat":"1","sort":"41704","name":"cms-image-000041704.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041704.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041704.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041704-jpg","text":"<p>U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador Ronald Johnson in a press conference next to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele at Rosales Hospital in San Salvador on May 26, 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo Yuri Cortez\/AFP<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EU.S. Ambassador to El Salvador Ronald Johnson in a press conference next to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele at Rosales Hospital in San Salvador on May 26, 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo Yuri Cortez\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041705-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41705","name":"cms-image-000041705.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041705.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041705.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041705-jpg","text":"<p>Ronald Johnson, nominated by U.S. President Donald Trump as Ambassador to Mexico, during his Senate confirmation hearing on Mar. 13, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Photo Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images\/AFP<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ERonald Johnson, nominated by U.S. President Donald Trump as Ambassador to Mexico, during his Senate confirmation hearing on Mar. 13, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Photo Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041706-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41706","name":"cms-image-000041706.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041706.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041706.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041706-jpg","text":"<p>Nayib Bukele and Ronald Johnson cenando langostas en Miami, Florida, en diciembre de 2020.<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ENayib Bukele and Ronald Johnson cenando langostas en Miami, Florida, en diciembre de 2020.\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041710-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41710","name":"cms-image-000041710.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041710.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041710.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041710-jpg","text":"<p>U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson and Nayib Bukele, during the signing of the U.S.-El Salvador work visa agreement on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. It was in this press conference that Bukele announced an emergency session of the Legislative Assembly, to be held on Sunday the 9th. Photo taken from the Embassy\u2019s social media.<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EU.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson and Nayib Bukele, during the signing of the U.S.-El Salvador work visa agreement on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. It was in this press conference that Bukele announced an emergency session of the Legislative Assembly, to be held on Sunday the 9th. Photo taken from the Embassy\u2019s social media.\u003C\/p\u003E"}},"pict_main__sort":41704,"date":{"live":"2025\/03\/24"},"data_post_dateLive_YY":"2025","data_post_dateLive_MM":"03","data_post_dateLive_DD":"24","text":"\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202503\/el_salvador\/27785\/Embajador-Johnson-%E2%80%9CNo-dudo-que-pudo-haberse-usado-Pegasus-en-El-Salvador%E2%80%9D.htm\"\u003E\u003Cem\u003ELeer en espa\u00f1ol\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ERonald Johnson, the U.S. ambassador to El Salvador from 2019 to 2021, told the U.S. Senate that, during his time in San Salvador, \u201cI don\u2019t doubt that it could have\u201d been the case that Pegasus spyware was used against civil society or U.S. officials. Although on March 13 Johnson denied having direct knowledge that \u201cthey [the Salvadoran government] had employed Pegasus against anyone in El Salvador,\u201d he revealed that \u201cI was constantly emphasizing to everyone that I spoke with, from President Bukele throughout his government, that there must be no surveillance on anyone that works for the Embassy\u201d who met with members of the opposition, civil society, and businessmen. These meetings, according to the ambassador, do not \u201cimply that we support any one side more than we do the other.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThis suspicion of surveillance against U.S. officials is the most direct public statement by a U.S. diplomat about the possible use of Pegasus by the Bukele government. Since December 2022, Pegasus has been the subject of a\u00a0\u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202407\/el_salvador\/27512\/Tech-and-Press-Giants-Boost-El-Faro%E2%80%99s-Appeal-in-US-Pegasus-Case.htm\"\u003Elawsuit in California by 18 members of El Faro\u003C\/a\u003E whose devices were hacked and spied on between July 2020 and November 2021 with this software in El Salvador. The developer of Pegasus, NSO Group, operates in Israel and sells it to governments around the world with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, under the premise of fighting organized crime. There is\u00a0\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/securitylab.amnesty.org\/case-study-the-pegasus-project\/\"\u003Eample evidence that the software was used\u003C\/a\u003E in countries around the world to spy on opponents and journalists.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EJohnson led the diplomatic mission in El Salvador from September 2019 to January 2021. A year later, in early 2022,\u00a0\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/citizenlab.ca\/2022\/01\/project-torogoz-extensive-hacking-media-civil-society-el-salvador-pegasus-spyware\/\"\u003EThe Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto and Access Now\u003C\/a\u003E revealed 35 cases of people surveilled with Pegasus in El Salvador. The researchers identified an operator of the software on Salvadoran soil, whom they dubbed \u201cTorogoz.\u201d Among the targets are 22 members of El Faro, as well as other Salvadoran journalists and columnists, members of civil society, and human rights activists.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EJohnson made this statement about Bukele\u2019s El Salvador at\u00a0\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.foreign.senate.gov\/hearings\/nominations-03-13-2025\"\u003Ea hearing of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee\u003C\/a\u003E to evaluate his candidacy for ambassador to Mexico. He also revealed that he had fired a contractor in El Salvador for an unauthorized meeting with a journalist.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ERegarding Bukele\u2019s \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202002\/el_salvador\/24020\/The-Day-the-Commander-in-Chief-Militarized-Congress.htm\"\u003Earmed incursion into the Legislative Assembly\u003C\/a\u003E in February 2020, Johnson said that he had insisted to him just before: \u201cDon\u2019t do this.\u201d Flanked by soldiers, Bukele usurped the first organ of the Salvadoran state, claiming that he did so to speed up a security loan that the Assembly, which he did not yet control, was delaying in granting him. Bukele claimed that, inside the usurped building, he spoke to God and that God asked him to be patient and not dissolve the Assembly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cI do not approve of the presence of the Armed Forces in the Assembly yesterday and felt relieved that that tense situation ended without violence,\u201d \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/USAmbSV\/status\/1226940935537397761\"\u003EJohnson tweeted\u003C\/a\u003E in the afternoon the next day. \u201cNow I recognize the calls for patience and prudence. I join all the actors calling for a peaceful dialogue to move forward.\u201d This month, Johnson played down the incident, asserting that on other occasions, compared to Feb. 9, 2020, \u201cthe Assembly in El Salvador had not been nearly that peaceful.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=4000&ImageHeight=2667&ImageId=41705 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Ronald Johnson, nominated by U.S. President Donald Trump as Ambassador to Mexico, during his Senate confirmation hearing on Mar. 13, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Photo Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images\/AFP\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Ronald Johnson, nominated by U.S. President Donald Trump as Ambassador to Mexico, during his Senate confirmation hearing on Mar. 13, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Photo Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images\/AFP \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ENow President Donald Trump has promoted him: He has proposed Ambassador Johnson for Mexico, a key mission that touches on conflictive areas of the new U.S. administration\u2019s agenda and discourse: trade, drug trafficking, and migration. Democratic senators, including Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, took the opportunity to question Johnson not only about the neighboring country, but also about the \u201cmassive use\u201d of Pegasus in El Salvador against civil society and U.S. officials, or how his \u201cclose friendship\u201d with Bukele as head of the Embassy \u201cled to a downplaying of your criticism of his anti-democratic and authoritarian tendencies.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBefore Congress, Johnson skillfully crossed party lines, complimenting senators from both parties and dodging most of the criticism from the Democratic side, such as this last one, to which he simply did not reply. On Pegasus, he denied having knowledge of any specific case: \u201cI was not aware that Pegasus was used against anyone in El Salvador. I don\u2019t doubt that it could have happened, but I was not aware of it,\u201d he replied to a question from Shaheen. He now awaits the Senate to finish evaluating and to vote on his confirmation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cThere are also reports that one of the Embassy employees who was investigating some of these anti-democratic activities of the president was fired summarily for that,\u201d Shaheen said. \u201dWere you aware of this? Were you involved in any decision to fire anyone who was investigating President Bukele\u2019s authoritarian activities?\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EJohnson learned, he replied, that \u201ca contractor who had been in country for a long time\u201d had held \u201can unauthorized meeting with a member of the press,\u201d so he called department heads and security to investigate what information might have been leaked. \u201cI deferred to his boss, really, as to what the final disposition should be in that case,\u201d he concluded, \u201cbut I know one of the first questions I\u2019ve always received on any security clearance interview is, \u2018Have you conducted any unauthorized meetings with the media or press?\u2019 And apparently this individual had.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA \u201cgreat friend\u201d to Bukele\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EJohnson is not a career diplomat \u2014like the current ambassador in San Salvador, William Duncan\u2014 nor was he a political appointment from the ranks of major Republican financiers: In El Salvador he was the\u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202012\/columnas\/0000025088-los-retos-de-la-corta-carrera-de-johnson-como-embajador-en-el-salvador\"\u003E first U.S. ambassador\u003C\/a\u003E with a military or intelligence background. According tothe \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.swcs.mil\/Portals\/111\/DMOR_SF_APR%202023_R%20JOHNSON.pdf\"\u003EJohn F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School\u003C\/a\u003E, he led combat operations in El Salvador in the 1980s as an \u201cauthorized military advisor\u201d during the civil war. Starting in 1984, he led a Special Forces battalion in Panama. After retiring with the rank of colonel, a \u201csecond career\u201d at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) gave way to senior liaison posts at Southern Command (Southcom) and Special Operations Command (Socom).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EHe presented his credentials in El Salvador in September 2019, three months after Bukele took office, while the new president \u2014who began his political career with the FMLN, the former guerrilla group and traditional left-wing party\u2014 was \u003Ca href=\"\/es\/201905\/el_salvador\/23290\/Bukele-en-Washington-%E2%80%9CEstamos-alineados-con-Estados-Unidos%E2%80%9D.htm\"\u003Eselling himself to Trump and the Heritage Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E as a conservative leader respectful of democracy. He remained in San Salvador until the inauguration of former President Joe Biden in January 2021. Johnson publicly showed closeness to Bukele, promoting cooperation against gangs and to curb migration with the Police and the Attorney General\u2019s Office, even going so far as to persecute migrants as \u201ccoyotes\u201d\u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202105\/el_salvador\/25479\/Sting-Operation-against-Migrant-Caravan-Arrests-Working-Class-Migrants-as-Human-Traffickers.htm\"\u003E for having coordinated their departure from El Salvador in WhatsApp\u003C\/a\u003E groups.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThese were days when the slogan #SocioConfiable (\u201creliable partner\u201d) was ever-present on the Embassy\u2019s social networks, projecting a fluid and close relationship between the Bukele and Trump administrations. Bukele, for his part, decorated Johnson a week before his departure with the Grand Order of Francisco Moraz\u00e1n, a recognition he had created days earlier for the occasion. The relationship also extended beyond protocol: In December 2020, Bukele and Johnson\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/elpais.com\/mexico\/2024-12-12\/pragmatico-polemico-e-intimo-de-bukele-el-rastro-salvadoreno-de-ronald-johnson-el-hombre-de-trump-para-mexico.html\"\u003E posted a photo of themselves dining on lobster in Miami\u003C\/a\u003E. The ambassador also attended the baptism of the president\u2019s daughter. \u201cA great friend is leaving,\u201d Bukele said as he bade farewell on Jan. 18, 2021.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=4000&ImageHeight=2550&ImageId=41704 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador Ronald Johnson in a press conference next to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele at Rosales Hospital in San Salvador on May 26, 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo Yuri Cortez\/AFP\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador Ronald Johnson in a press conference next to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele at Rosales Hospital in San Salvador on May 26, 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo Yuri Cortez\/AFP \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EDuring Johnson's period in El Salvador, Bukele took some of the first steps against the separation of powers: At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, he accused the Constitutional Chamber of seeking the deaths of \u201ctens of thousands of Salvadorans\u201d by limiting his quarantine decrees, which included a \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202004\/el_salvador\/24365\/Life-and-Death-in-a-Government-Quarantine-Facility-in-El-Salvador.htm\"\u003Estrict curfew and lockdowns in confinement centers\u003C\/a\u003E supported by a \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202004\/el_salvador\/24324\/Ruling-by-Tweet-Bukele-Places-La-Libertad-under-Military-Lockdown.htm\"\u003Elarge police and military deployment in the streets\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA marketing crisis\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOn Feb. 9, 2020, a major scandal made international headlines: Bukele threatened to dissolve the Assembly if the deputies did not approve a security loan for him. Two days earlier, at a press conference alongside Ambassador Johnson, Bukele called an extraordinary session for Sunday afternoon, while refusing to give details to opposition auditors about the use of a loan for \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202003\/el_salvador\/24115\/Bukele%E2%80%99s-International-Credit-Line-The-Next-Step-toward-Militarizing-Public-Safety.htm\"\u003Ehis flagship \u201cTerritorial Control Plan\u201d\u003C\/a\u003E. Executive sources told El Faro that\u00a0\u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202503\/el_salvador\/27787\/The-Story-Behind-the-Day-Bukele-Stormed-the-Salvadoran-Assembly.htm\"\u003Ethe threat was an exercise in marketing spun out of control\u003C\/a\u003E, designed to divert attention from other problems affecting the president\u2019s image on social media: a crisis over algae-contaminated water in San Salvador and another over a controversial \u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202002\/el_salvador\/23980\/Empresa-mexicana-de-seguridad-pag%C3%B3-el-viaje-de-Osiris-Luna.htm\"\u003Eprivate flight by Vice Minister of Security Osiris Luna\u003C\/a\u003E, paid for by a Mexican security company.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cThe key is to choose the conflict and always win it,\u201d said one of the government sources who spoke to El Faro. \u201cA month before, they had this card: The Legislative Assembly is the most hated. In the polls it comes out as the worst evaluated and people even pay to go and insult the deputies,\u201d he says. \u201dSo what you do is find a cause; you choose who to generate the conflict with and make the other side [the Assembly] give in to pressure.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBukele even revoked the security details of the opposition deputies for 12 hours the Friday beforehand, after having convened the session. This measure was to pressure the legislators, involved officers told El Faro. Bukele\u00a0entered the Assembly surrounded by soldiers with long rifles. \u201cIt is very clear who is in control of the situation,\u201d he\u00a0\u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202002\/el_salvador\/24006\/%E2%80%9CAhora-creo-que-est%C3%A1-muy-claro-qui%C3%A9n-tiene-el-control-de-la-situaci%C3%B3n%E2%80%9D.htm\"\u003Esaid in the chair of the president of the legislature\u003C\/a\u003E. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, vice-presidential candidate with Hillary Clinton in 2016 and the highest-ranking Democrat for the Western Hemisphere, questioned Johnson about February 9. \u201cI am publicly on the record as saying that I did not condone what he [Bukele] did,\u201d replied the ambassador. \u201cAnd something that few people know is that I was in contact with him moments before he made the decision, and I was telling him not to go: \u2018Do not do this.\u2019\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EJohnson qualified this criticism by describing Bukele\u2019s incursion into the Assembly \u2014in which he appeared to be praying, but announced shortly afterwards, in a speech to thousands of supporters, that God \u201casked me for patience\u201d not to dissolve the legislature\u2014 as \u201cpeaceful\u201d. He said he had learned of the plan \u201chours before\u201d Bukele and the soldiers entered the Sal\u00f3n Azul. \u201cIt was on a Sunday, and it was an emergency session of congress, and some members resented that they were being called in and didn\u2019t show up,\u201d he said. \u201cThere were people on both sides demonstrating. It was a truly peaceful demonstration, and one thing that I\u2019ve used to highlight the entry into the Assembly: President Bukele has no plainclothes security. That [the soldiers] was the only security he has.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EJohnson told the senators that, on other occasions, \u201cthe Assembly in El Salvador had not been nearly that peaceful. But we did address it, and I criticized him publicly for doing that, as well as privately. We had long discussions about it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe Constitutional Court \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202002\/el_salvador\/24021\/Constitutional-Court-to-Bukele-Stop-Using-the-Armed-Forces-to-Put-Democracy-at-Risk.htm\"\u003Ehad a different interpretation\u003C\/a\u003E: \u201cArmed forces cannot be employed for political, partisan, or other unconstitutional purposes that are not constitutionally legitimate,\u201d wrote the magistrates. \u201cThe wielding of weapons and active-duty military officials\u2019 current positions of authority are apt to cause intimidation and influence people\u2019s decisions for reasons other than their political convictions.\u201d According to the Court, the actions of the Presidency constituted a \u201ccontinued threat against the government\u2019s political system and separation of powers through public and military force.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=4000&ImageHeight=2666&ImageId=41710 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson and Nayib Bukele, during the signing of the U.S.-El Salvador work visa agreement on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. It was in this press conference that Bukele announced an emergency session of the Legislative Assembly, to be held on Sunday the 9th. Photo taken from the Embassy\u2019s social media.\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson and Nayib Bukele, during the signing of the U.S.-El Salvador work visa agreement on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. It was in this press conference that Bukele announced an emergency session of the Legislative Assembly, to be held on Sunday the 9th. Photo taken from the Embassy\u2019s social media. \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBukele\u2019s storming of the Assembly was so controversial among the diplomatic missions that, two days later, the government summoned some 60 ambassadors and multilateral representatives to a meeting to try to calm the waters.\u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202003\/el_salvador\/24110\/La-historia-detr%C3%A1s-del-d%C3%ADa-en-que-Bukele-se-tom%C3%B3-la-Asamblea-Legislativa.htm\"\u003E In an audio obtained by El Faro\u003C\/a\u003E, Japanese Ambassador Kazuyoshi Higuchi broke his silence: \u201cLosing a good image is one day, but recovering an image takes longer. That\u2019s why the event in the Assembly affected almost all the diplomats and it was a bad image, but it takes a long time to recover the country\u2019s image. I hope you don\u2019t repeat it next time, I don\u2019t know... tomorrow, Saturday or Sunday, don\u2019t repeat it... You'll lose more confidence with the diplomats.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EConservative allies\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBukele did not carry out his threat to dissolve the Assembly. But the international image of his government worsened on May 1, 2021, almost a year and a half after Johnson's departure and after the legislative elections of February 2021. That night, hours after Bukele's new qualified majority took office in the legislature, the deputies \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202105\/el_salvador\/25452\/New-Legislative-Assembly-Ousts-Supreme-Court-Magistrates-and-Attorney-General.htm\"\u003Eillegally removed the attorney general and the five magistrates\u003C\/a\u003E of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court by executive order. The president of the Assembly, Ernesto Castro, Bukele\u2019s former private secretary, accused the Chamber of imposing itself as a \u201csuperpower\u201d above the Executive.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EKey figures within Trump\u2019s current circle, from Elon Musk, White House advisor and campaign financier, to Donald Trump Jr.,\u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202503\/ef_audio\/27782\/podcast-bukele-and-musk-bond-over-attacks-on-u-s-judiciary\"\u003E have expressed admiration for the agenda of Bukele\u003C\/a\u003E, whose regime of exception turns three years old this week, and his removal of the magistrates four years ago. Following some court injunctions against Trump\u2019s agenda, his operatives have accused judges of violating the executive branch purview. Bukele has also described these injunctions as a \u201cjudicial coup\u201d in the United States, drawing applause from the MAGA world.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBukele does not say this without irony in San Salvador, where his removal of the Constitutional Chamber magistrates was branded a \u201ctechnical coup d\u2019\u00e9tat\u201d. It led to an alleged\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/amp.dw.com\/es\/ee-uu-expresa-su-preocupaci%C3%B3n-a-nayib-bukele-por-gobernabilidad\/a-57914491\"\u003E suspension of USAID cooperation\u003C\/a\u003E to Salvadoran institutions complicit with the Bukele administration in the removals. Ambassador Jean Manes, who preceded Johnson in San Salvador, returned as charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires at the end of May, while \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202209\/centroamerica\/26360\/US-Senate-Poised-to-Finally-Confirm-Four-Ambassadors-to-Central-America.htm\"\u003Enominations in Washington for new ambassadors languished\u003C\/a\u003E in the Senate and the Biden administration sought to chart a course in El Salvador after the coup against the Supreme Court.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EMonths later, in September 2021, came the next step: The \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202109\/el_salvador\/25694\/Ruling-on-Bukele-Reelection-Prompts-US-Comparisons-to-Venezuela.htm\"\u003EConstitutional Chamber imposed by Bukele endorsed his candidacy for re-election\u003C\/a\u003E in 2024 despite six explicit prohibitions in the Salvadoran Constitution. Manes left the country two months later, in November, after comparing Bukele\u2019s aspirations for re-election to Hugo Ch\u00e1vez. \u201cWhy should I stay in El Salvador if we have no counterpart?\u201d\u00a0\u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202111\/el_salvador\/25857\/Embajadora-interina-de-EUA-%E2%80%9C%C2%BFPara-qu%C3%A9-voy-a-seguir-en-El-Salvador-si-no-tenemos-contraparte%E2%80%9D.htm\"\u003Elamented Manes at a tense press conference\u003C\/a\u003E before leaving.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=4000&ImageHeight=2250&ImageId=41706 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Nayib Bukele and Ronald Johnson cenando langostas en Miami, Florida, en diciembre de 2020.\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Nayib Bukele and Ronald Johnson cenando langostas en Miami, Florida, en diciembre de 2020. \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ESince leaving San Salvador, Johnson has become an active\u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202406\/el_salvador\/27448\/biden-and-trump-camps-jockey-for-favor-in-bukele-rsquo-s-new-el-salvador\"\u003E promoter of Bukele\u003C\/a\u003E from Miami among Republicans, who largely embraced Bukele at forums such as the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2024. By that June, at Bukele\u2019s unconstitutional inauguration, the Biden administration had spent the better part of the previous two years \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202309\/el_salvador\/27061\/international-community-places-no-hurdles-to-reelection-for-bukele\"\u003Eeasing tensions with Bukele ahead of his likely re-election\u003C\/a\u003E. The White House sent a high-level delegation headed by the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas. \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202406\/el_salvador\/27448\/biden-and-trump-camps-jockey-for-favor-in-bukele-rsquo-s-new-el-salvador\"\u003EA broad display of conservative support\u003C\/a\u003E included Donald Trump, Jr., former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, and Mexican far-right politician Eduardo Ver\u00e1stegui. Johnson, back in San Salvador, was also in attendance.\u003C\/p\u003E"}