I just got the best christmas present.

Last month, the Colombian ambassador to the United States revealed that the US purchased Pegasus Spyware on behalf of the former Colombian Government to monitor narcotics trafficking in Colombia and Mexico.

The current Colombian Government however believes that Pegasus was purchased to illegally spy on the opposition.

In November, I filed a freedom of information request with the US Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), requesting documentation of meetings – as well as any communication regarding meetings – between the Colombian Ambassador and the Office of the President of the United States regarding the Pegasus sale.

The ONDCP just responded to my request – stating that it had no such information.

If the ONDCP – part of the Office of the President in charge of battling illicit drug trafficking – was not in the loop regarding meetings to discuss the Pegasus purchase, it seems fairly unlikely that the purchase was made to combat drugs.

Next FOIA request is filed, zap to support this work 🫡