State Dep’t to Evo: “Knock it off”

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack responded harshly to accusations by the Bolivian government against that country's U.S. ambassador. “The basic message is, just stop it. Knock it off,” said McCormack against the allegations of conspiracy against Ambassador Philip Goldberg.

Last week, Spanish news agency EFE released a photo which Bolivian president Evo Morales said proved Goldberg’s conspiracy against him:

The U.S. ambassador Philip Goldberg "aimed to be a counterweight to this government and erode its legitimacy," Morales told reporters Sunday, calling on the U.S. government to practice diplomacy instead of politics.

Morales cited a photo of Goldberg with John Jairo Venegas, a Colombian citizen accused of crimes, and a leading opposition figure from the southern Bolivia department of Santa Cruz, during a business expo.

The photo in question- which the U.S. says is a fake- can be seen above; Goldberg is in the middle and Venegas is on the right.

Image- teleSUR

Sources (English)- Reuters, Xinhua

Sources (Spanish)- teleSUR