| Advertisement |
Dec. 12 (UPI) -- President-elect Donald Trump has named Orlando, Fla., personal injury attorney and law firm founder Dan Newlin as the next U.S. ambassador to Colombia. "A highly accomplished business executive, entrepreneur and former Sheriff's Detective, Dan boasts an impressive 28-year career with the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Orlando, Florida," Trump said Wednesday in a Truth Social post.
Advertisement
"Throughout his tenure, Newlin rapidly advanced working in major crimes as a fugitive detective," Trump said. "Dan demonstrated exceptional investigative skills, successfully taking hundreds of violent offenders off the streets, including those involved in armed robbery, gang violence, human trafficking and illegal gun and narcotics trafficking."
Trump also called Newlin a "business visionary" who founded his personal injury law firm and said experience in law enforcement enable him to "navigate complex international issues" and foster new economic partnerships.
Newlin donated more than $1.2 million to political action committees that supported Trump's candidacy for president and recently donated to the family of the firefighter who was shot and killed during the failed assassination attempt targeting Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa.
"Last night, I had the profound honor of receiving a personal call from President-elect Donald J. Trump," Newlin said Thursday in a post on X. "During our conversation, he graciously nominated me to serve as the United States Ambassador to Colombia. I accepted this prestigious nomination with both immense pride and a deep sense of responsibility."
Newlin said he has spent the last 10 years as a senior adviser to his personal injury law firm while working remotely and intends to continue as its senior adviser while serving the nation as its ambassador to Colombia.
Relations between Colombia and the United States have been strained since Colombian President Gustavo Petro took office in August2022.
Petro is a former rebel who many members of Florida's congressional delegation have called a Marxist who is hostile to the United States.
About 31% of Colombians living in the United States are residents of Florida, which gives the Sunshine State the nation's largest population of Colombians.
