[News] Peru coup: CIA agent turned US ambassador met with defense minister day before president overthrown

[Anti-Imperialist News]

multipolarista.com
<https://multipolarista.com/2022/12/14/coup-us-ambassador-peru-cia/>
Peru coup: CIA agent turned US ambassador met with defense minister day
before president overthrown
Ben Norton - December 14, 2022
------------------------------

*(Se puede leer este informe en español aquí
<https://geopoliticaeconomica.com/2022/12/15/embajador-eeuu-peru-cia-golpe/>.)*
------------------------------

The US ambassador in Peru, a veteran CIA agent named Lisa Kenna, met with
the country’s defense minister
<https://andina.pe/agencia/noticia-ministro-defensa-se-reunio-embajadora-los-estados-unidos-920673.aspx>
just one day before democratically elected left-wing President Pedro
Castillo was overthrown in a coup d’etat and imprisoned without trial.

Peru’s defense minister, a retired brigadier general, ordered the military
to turn against Castillo.

The coup set off mass protests all across Peru
<https://multipolarista.com/2022/12/10/peru-coup-president-pedro-castillo/>.
The unelected regime has unleashed brutal violence, and police have killed
numerous demonstrators.

Meanwhile, the US government has staunchly supported Peru’s unelected coup
regime, which declared a nation-wide “state of emergency” and deployed the
military to the streets in an attempt to crush the protests.

Esto no es la Guerra de las Galaxias es Chorrillos, Lima
pic.twitter.com/KFluRVJFAu <https://t.co/KFluRVJFAu>

— HezSocial (@ZLaicos) December 15, 2022
<https://twitter.com/ZLaicos/status/1603282244701159424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Most governments in Latin America have criticized or even refused to
recognize Peru’s unelected coup regime, including Mexico, Argentina,
Bolivia, Colombia
<https://multipolarista.com/2022/12/13/mexico-argentina-bolivia-colombia-peru-castillo-coup/>,
Honduras
<https://multipolarista.com/2022/12/13/honduras-coup-peru-pedro-castillo/>,
Venezuela, Cuba, and various Caribbean nations.

The CIA has organized many coups against democratically elected left-wing
leaders in Latin America, from Guatemala’s President Jacobo Árbenz in 1954
to Chile’s President Salvador Allende in 1973.

When the Donald Trump administrated nominated Lisa Kenna to be ambassador
to Peru in 2020, the State Department released
<https://www.state.gov/kenna-lisa-republic-of-peru-may-2020/> a
“certificate of competency” that revealed that, “Before joining the Foreign
Service, she served for nine years as a Central Intelligence Agency
officer.”

This important fact is curiously absent from most of Kenna’s bios,
including her page on the US embassy’s official website
<https://pe.usembassy.gov/es/embajadora-de-los-estados-unidos-de-america-al-peru-lisa-kenna/>
.

[image: Lisa Kenna US ambassador Peru CIA]

Under Trump, Kenna also served as executive secretary of the State
Department and was “senior aide” to Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,
who previously headed the CIA.

In regard to his work for the notorious spy agency, Pompeo admitted in
2019, “I was the CIA director. We lied, we cheated, we stole
<https://youtu.be/x6wbfjspVww?t=1761>. We had entire training courses.”

At a Congressional nomination hearing
<https://www.congress.gov/event/116th-congress/senate-event/LC66877/text>
in 2020, Kenna admitted that, as executive secretary, she saw “nearly all”
of the memos that were sent to Pompeo, adding, “I am aware of the vast
majority of” calls made to and by him.

Kenna also previously worked for the Defense Department and served State
Department roles in Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Swaziland, and Pakistan.

When President Joe Biden entered in January 2021, he kept Kenna as
ambassador in Peru.

The current US Ambassador in Peru. pic.twitter.com/iUAbnR6Hzp
<https://t.co/iUAbnR6Hzp>

— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) December 13, 2022
<https://twitter.com/KawsachunNews/status/1602736605399130113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

On December 6, 2022, Kenna met with Gustavo Bobbio Rosas, a retired
brigadier general from the Peruvian military who had officially been
appointed as defense minister the day before. (A local media outlet reported
<http://www.elperuano.pe/noticia/198471-ministro-de-defensa-se-reunio-con-embajadora-de-los-estados-unidos>
that the meeting was on December 5, but that appears to have been an error.)

Peru’s Ministry of Defense
<https://twitter.com/MindefPeru/status/1600228073739522048> published a
photo of their friendly chat.

At the time of this meeting, it was known in Peru that the notoriously
corrupt, oligarch-controlled congress was preparing for a new vote to
overthrow democratically elected left-wing President Pedro Castillo.

Ahora  | Ministro de Defensa, Gustavo Bobbio, se reúne con la embajadora de
@USEMBASSYPERU <https://twitter.com/USEMBASSYPERU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>,
Lisa Kenna, para abordar temas de interés bilateral.
pic.twitter.com/9p7JuKNx75 <https://t.co/9p7JuKNx75>

— Mindef Perú (@MindefPeru) December 6, 2022
<https://twitter.com/MindefPeru/status/1600228073739522048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Article 113 of Peru’s constitution
<https://www2.congreso.gob.pe/sicr/RelatAgenda/constitucion.nsf/constitucion/1A33E212F19320E50525672900812783>
allows the unicameral congress to remove presidents simply by voting to
declare that they have a “moral incapacity,” in a process known as
“vacancy.”

Peru’s congress is well known for its extreme corruption. In the
infamous “Mamanivideos”
scandal
<https://www.infobae.com/america/peru/2022/11/15/kenji-fujimori-que-es-el-caso-mamanivideos-por-el-cual-el-excongresista-fue-condenado-a-cuatro-anos-y-medio-de-carcel/>,
congress members from the far-right Fuerza Popular party were filmed
bribing other congress members to vote against impeaching previous
right-wing President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.

Fuerza Popular is run by the family members of Alberto Fujimori, the
far-right dictator who ruled Peru with an iron fist from 1990 until 2000.
With the support of the US government, Fujimori committed genocide, sterilizing
approximately 300,000 Indigenous people
<https://twitter.com/BenjaminNorton/status/1551285847596605440>, while
killing, torturing, and disappearing large numbers of leftist dissidents.

The Mamanivideos scandal showed that it is quite easy for Peru’s rich
oligarchs to buy votes in congress to overthrow democratically elected
presidents.

And as soon as Castillo entered office on July 28, 2021, the congress tried
to do exactly this.

Just one day after the US ambassador met with Peru’s defense minister, on
December 7, 2022, the right-wing-dominated congress launched a
parliamentary coup against Castillo, using article 113.

This was the third coup attempt in just over a year by Peru’s congress,
which in September 2022 had a mere 7% approval rating.

Hoping to stop the coup, Castillo responded by trying to dissolve the
congress. This is allowed in cases of obstructionism by article 134 of
Peru’s constitution
<https://www2.congreso.gob.pe/sicr/RelatAgenda/constitucion.nsf/NumArticulos/134?openDocument>
.

Defense Minister Bobbio immediately denounced the president’s actions. He
published a video resigning from his position (that he had only held for
three days).

Pronunciamiento| Presento mi renuncia de manera irrevocable a mi cargo de
Ministro de Defensa. pic.twitter.com/efFC0cwZ34 <https://t.co/efFC0cwZ34>

— Gustavo Bobbio Rosas (@GustavoBobbio_) December 7, 2022
<https://twitter.com/GustavoBobbio_/status/1600565656176443406?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

In the video, Bobbio told Peru’s armed forces not to support President
Castillo and to oppose his attempt to dissolve the coup-plotting congress.

Bobbio claimed Castillo was launching a “coup attempt,” but in reality
Bobbio was instructing the Peruvian military to support a coup against the
democratically elected president, on behalf of a notoriously corrupt
oligarch-controlled congress that had almost no support from the population.

While Bobbio ordered the military to rebel against the president, the US
government promptly attacked Castillo.

Former CIA agent and current Ambassador Kenna tweeted
<https://twitter.com/USAmbPeru/status/1600552518056308736>, “The United
States categorically rejects any extra-constitutional act by President
Castillo to prevent the congress from fulfilling its mandate.”

Los Estados Unidos insta enfáticamente al presidente Castillo a revertir su
intento de cerrar el Congreso y permitir que las instituciones democráticas
de Perú funcionen según la Constitución. Alentamos al público peruano a
mantener la calma durante este tiempo incierto.

— Lisa Kenna (@USAmbPeru) December 7, 2022
<https://twitter.com/USAmbPeru/status/1600552520123752448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Kenna failed to mention article 134 of Peru’s constitution
<https://www2.congreso.gob.pe/sicr/RelatAgenda/constitucion.nsf/NumArticulos/134?openDocument>,
which states:

The President of the Republic is authorized the dissolve the Congress if it
has censured or denied its confidence to two Councils of Ministers [the
official name of Peru’s cabinet]. The dissolution decree contains the call
for elections for a new Congress.

When Castillo moved to dissolve the congress, he cited article 134 and he
made it clear that it was only going to be a “temporary” closure
<https://www.la-razon.com/mundo/2022/12/07/nuevas-elecciones-del-congreso-y-nueva-constitucion-en-peru-entre-los-anuncios-de-castillo/>.
The president said new congressional elections would be held as soon as
possible.

Kenna ignored all of this context. Instead, the ambassador declared, “The
United States emphatically urges President Castillo to reverse his attempt
to close the congress and allow the democratic institutions of Peru to
function according to the constitution.”

By this, the CIA veteran meant that Castillo should simply allow the
anti-democratic, oligarch-controlled congress to launch a coup against him.

The US embassy in Peru subsequently published an official statement echoing
exactly what Kenna had said.

This was Washington’s green light for Peru’s corrupt, right-wing-dominated
congress to overthrow President Castillo, and for the state security
services to arrest him, without trial.

pic.twitter.com/cyDlKaxiC8 <https://t.co/cyDlKaxiC8>

— Embajada EEUU Perú (@USEMBASSYPERU) December 7, 2022
<https://twitter.com/USEMBASSYPERU/status/1600560167409442817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Mere hours after Castillo was imprisoned, the oligarch-controlled congress
appointed his vice president, Dina Boluarte, as leader of the country.

Boluarte promised on the floor of the congress that she would create “a
political truce to install a government of national unity” – that is, a
pact with the right wing.

Boluarte had been expelled
<https://larepublica.pe/politica/2022/01/23/dina-boluarte-comite-regional-de-lima-de-peru-libre-expulsa-a-vicepresidenta-por-falta-grave-vladimir-cerron/>
in January 2022 from the leftist Perú Libre party that Castillo had
campaigned with. She proudly declared that she “had never embraced the
ideology” of the socialist political party.

The day after the coup, on December 8, the State Department gave its rubber
stamp to Boluarte’s unelected regime.

“The United States welcomes President Boluarte and hopes to work with her
administration to achieve a more democratic, prosperous, and secure
region,” stated Brian A. Nichols, the US assistant secretary for western
hemisphere affairs.

“We support her call for a government of national unity and we applaud
Peruvians while they unite in their support of democracy,” the top State
Department official added.

EE. UU. da la bienvenida a la presidenta Boluarte y espera trabajar con su
administración para lograr una región más democrática, próspera y segura.
Apoyamos su llamado a un gobierno de unidad nacional y aplaudimos a los
peruanos mientras se unen en apoyo de su democracia. -BAN

— Brian A. Nichols (@WHAAsstSecty) December 8, 2022
<https://twitter.com/WHAAsstSecty/status/1600965620203675648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

In the mean time, the Peruvian people were filling the streets, condemning
the coup against their elected president
<https://multipolarista.com/2022/12/13/protest-peru-coup-media-president-castillo/>
.

Peru’s police responded with violence, harshly cracking down, killing
several protesters.

On December 14, the coup regime imposed a national “state of emergency” for
30 days, and said it might also declare a curfew.

At the same time, the coup regime also said it plans to sentence Castillo
to 18 months in “preventative prison,”
<https://rpp.pe/politica/judiciales/fiscal-de-la-nacion-solicito-18-meses-de-prision-preventiva-para-el-expresidente-pedro-castillo-noticia-1453389>
without a proper trial that resembles anything remotely like due process.

Just one day before the coup regime made these authoritarian announcements,
former CIA agent and current US Ambassador met with Peru’s unelected
leader, Dina Boluarte, and reiterated Washington’s wholehearted support.

La presidenta @DinaErcilia
<https://twitter.com/DinaErcilia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw> Boluarte recibió a la
embajadora de @USEMBASSYPERU
<https://twitter.com/USEMBASSYPERU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>, Lisa Kenna, quien
reiteró el pleno respaldo de su país a la institucionalidad democrática en
el Perú y a las acciones del gobierno constitucional para estabilizar la
situación social.
 pic.twitter.com/30EqAa75lx <https://t.co/30EqAa75lx>

— Presidencia del Perú  (@presidenciaperu) December 13, 2022
<https://twitter.com/presidenciaperu/status/1602717719933194241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Kenna praised the right-wing “unity government” that Boluarte pledged to
form, adding, “We hope to strengthen our bilateral relationship.”

Me reuní con la presidenta Boluarte para reiterarle el compromiso de los
EE.UU. con la defensa de la democracia y el respeto a las instituciones.
Junto con la @presidenciaperu
<https://twitter.com/presidenciaperu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw> y el gobierno de
unidad que se comprometió a formar, esperamos fortalecer nuestra relación
bilateral.

— Lisa Kenna (@USAmbPeru) December 13, 2022
<https://twitter.com/USAmbPeru/status/1602737680374276096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Brian Nichols, the top State Department official on Latin America, added
with a touch of deep irony, “We support the Peruvian people and their
constitutional democracy.” He urged protesters to “reject violence.”

On the same day, Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, and Colombia
<https://multipolarista.com/2022/12/13/mexico-argentina-bolivia-colombia-peru-castillo-coup/>
released a joint diplomatic statement with a completely contrary message,
supporting elected President Castillo, saying he was the victim of
“anti-democratic harassment.”

Apoyamos al pueblo peruano y a su democracia constitucional. Alentamos a
los Peruanos a juntarse pacificamente en apoyo a las reformas que Perú
necesita y a rechazar la violencia. Trabajaremos con @presidenciaperu
<https://twitter.com/presidenciaperu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw> para avanzar
estas metas. -BAN https://t.co/AnrrDnxUzi

— Brian A. Nichols (@WHAAsstSecty) December 13, 2022
<https://twitter.com/WHAAsstSecty/status/1602815617714864135?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

In a press briefing on December 13
<https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-december-13-2022/>,
the State department was asked about the protests in Peru.

State Department spokesman Ned Price – who, like Lisa Kenna, was also a CIA
agent
<https://www.npr.org/2017/02/22/516695407/career-cia-analyst-ned-price-quits-rather-than-serve-trump-administration>
– emphasized Washington’s steadfast support for Peru’s coup regime.

“We do commend Peruvian institutions and civil authorities for safeguarding
democratic stability,” he said, as Peru’s repressive police killed
protesters.

Just witnessed a protestor shot in head by police outside our hotel in #lima
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/lima?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>. Not sure
he survived. Police response becoming more violent tonight #DinaBoluarte
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/DinaBoluarte?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
#sosperu <https://twitter.com/hashtag/sosperu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
#PedroCastillo
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/PedroCastillo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
#ProtestasContraElCongreso
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProtestasContraElCongreso?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
#protestasenlima
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/protestasenlima?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
#Peru <https://twitter.com/hashtag/Peru?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw> #ahora
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/ahora?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>
pic.twitter.com/8HJe3cTxvC <https://t.co/8HJe3cTxvC>

— M M (@MMinperu) December 13, 2022
<https://twitter.com/MMinperu/status/1602496806331580417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

Instead of condemning the rampant police brutality, the US State Department
blamed the protesters themselves. Price stated, “we are troubled by
scattered reports of violent demonstrations and by reports of attacks on
the press and private property, including businesses.”

“When it comes to Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, we of course do
recognize her as such. We will continue to work with Peru’s democratic
institutions, and we look forward to working closely with President
Boluarte and all branches of the government in Peru,” the former CIA agent
stressed.

State Department on Peru  (Tuesday's daily presser):

– Commends Peru's institutions and authorities "for safeguarding democratic
stability"

– "troubled by (..) violent demonstrations" and "reports of attacks on the
press and private property"

– recognizes Dina Boluarte pic.twitter.com/AVj3F1cOds
<https://t.co/AVj3F1cOds>

— Camila (@camilapress) December 15, 2022
<https://twitter.com/camilapress/status/1603212921672196097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

In addition to serving as a CIA agent for nine years and current US
ambassador to Peru, Lisa Kenna worked as a:

   - political adviser to the secretary of defense
   - director of the Iraq office on the National Security Council at the
   White House
   - deputy director of the Iraq political office at the Department of State
   - chief of the political section at the US embassy in Jordan
   - political/military officer at the US embassy in Egypt
   - staff member at the US embassy in Swaziland
   - staff member at the US consulate general in Peshawar, Pakistan

At a Congressional nomination hearing
<https://www.congress.gov/event/116th-congress/senate-event/LC66877/text>
on July 23, 2020, Kenna boasted of her US-supremacist worldview, stating,
“The longer I have been in public service, the more I am convinced that
America is the world’s most exceptional nation.”

She also vowed, “I will maintain the United States’ vital relationship with
Peru which has long been one of our closest partners in the region.
Recently, Mission Peru has performed heroically to sustain our strong
partnership and serve our fellow Americans in these challenging times.”

At the time of the hearing, Peru had a right-wing government, led by
President Martín Vizcarra.

Kenna praised Peru’s conservative government, “as founder of the Lima
Group,” for backing the United States in its right-wing coup attempt
against Venezuela’s democratically elected President Nicolás Maduro,
claiming, “The U.S. and Peru are also growing our shared support for a
peaceful return to democracy in Venezuela.”

She also pledged in the hearing that, as US ambassador to Peru: “I commit
to meet with democratically oriented opposition figures”; “We also commit
to meet with independent, local press in Peru”; and “I am committed to
meeting with human rights, civil society, and other non governmental
organizations in the United States and in Peru.”
------------------------------

*Clarification: This article originally reported that the meeting between
the US ambassador and Peruvian defense minister was on December 5, two days
before the coup, based on an article in a local newspaper
<http://www.elperuano.pe/noticia/198471-ministro-de-defensa-se-reunio-con-embajadora-de-los-estados-unidos>,
but that media outlet appears to have been mistaken, and the actual meeting
was on December 6, the day before the coup.*
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