The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is keeping a close watch on “political risks” which may emerge in Mexico and Latin America. While Mike Pompeo, director of the agency, declined to provide more details of what a “political risk” entails for the CIA, he did mention this issue is among the “priorities” of the agency.
For Pompeo, the political changes which can take place in Mexico, Central America, and South America are part of the priorities of the CIA, to better understand the situation.
The director of the CIA did not make any comment on the words of U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster regarding evidence of Russian meddling in the Mexican elections.
Instead, Pompeo focused on how these political risks and the need to understand them adequately are part of the “second importance level” of the agency, parallel to the threats against their nation which no longer come from specific countries but from rival groups lacking the support of a State.
During his talk at the American Enterprise Institute, Pompeo also mentioned the intelligence work the agency is doing to reduce the impact the possible influence of drug money can have on the politics of countries like Mexico, such as increasing penalty fees for individuals or corporation found to be linked with drug cartels – identified thanks to the collaboration of the Agency and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
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