Mark Penn, who in addition to working as Clinton's chief campaign strategist is a lobbyist in his capacity as chief executive officer of Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, said his meeting with Ambassador Carolina Barco Isakson "was an error in judgment that will not be repeated."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An angry Colombia said on Saturday it ended a contract with a lobbying firm headed by a top campaign aide to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton after he apologized for meeting with Colombian officials to advocate a trade deal that she opposes.
Mark Penn, who in addition to working as Clinton's chief campaign strategist is a lobbyist in his capacity as chief executive officer of Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, said his meeting with Ambassador Carolina Barco Isakson "was an error in judgment that will not be repeated."
"The Colombian government considers this a lack of respect to Colombians, and finds this response unacceptable," the Colombian Embassy in Washington said in a statement.
The firm was retained by the embassy in March of last year, the embassy said. It had a contract to promote approval by the U.S. Congress of a trade deal with the South American nation.
!ADVERTISEMENT!Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, opposes the deal and intends to vote against it, her campaign said.
Penn met with the Colombian ambassador on March 31, the embassy said. It said Colombia would continue its efforts to get a favorable vote on the trade deal.
In a statement issued by the Clinton campaign on Friday, Penn said of the meeting, "I am sorry for it." He added, "The senator's well-known opposition to this trade deal is clear and was not discussed."
(Reporting by James Vicini and Ellen Wulfhorst, Editing by Eric Beech)
