Embassy security officer draws ire
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President Evo Morales declared a U.S. Embassy security officer an “undesirable person” after reports that the officer asked an American scholar and 30 Peace Corps volunteers to pass along information about Cubans and Venezuelans working in Bolivia.
It was not immediately clear whether Morales intended to seek the expulsion of the official, Vincent Cooper, who according to the U.S. Embassy was recalled to Washington for consultations.
Embassy spokesman Eric Watnik insisted that no embassy employee had asked the scholar or Peace Corps volunteers to participate in gathering intelligence.
Instead, he said, some were mistakenly given a security briefing meant for embassy staff.
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