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Argentina's President Angry About Secret Foreign Funding Accusations

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The Associated Press

Published: December 14, 2007

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - This country's new president reacted furiously Thursday to accusations by U.S. prosecutors that an intercepted suitcase full of cash from Venezuela was meant to finance her election campaign, calling the charge "garbage in international politics."
Aides to President Cristina Fernandez accused Washington of using a "vile trick" to smear her government for its close ties to Venezuela's leftist leader, Hugo Chavez.

"This president may be a woman, but she's not going to allow herself to be pressured," Fernandez said. She denounced the U.S. criminal complaint, but did not address the substance of the charges - that foreigners secretly tried to fund her campaign.

The charges of a clandestine attempt to contribute nearly $800,000 in August put the Argentine and Venezuelan governments on the defensive as opponents sought to turn the case into a political liability.

Her opponents demanded that Argentine authorities take testimony from four men charged in Miami with orchestrating a cover-up with top Venezuelan officials after the undeclared cash was seized by Argentine customs.

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