US mulls booting Nicaragua from trade pact over crackdown

By JOSHUA GOODMAN and CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — The Biden administration is considering trying to expel Nicaragua from a lucrative regional free trade pact to retaliate against President Daniel Ortega’s crackdown on his opponents. A U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity says the action is still under analysis and no decision has been made. It could inflict serious economic pain on the country and its business elite, who have mostly stood by silently as Ortega’s repressive tactics have grown. But business leaders may be reluctant to speak out: Several already have been targeted in the crackdown that has seen a number of activists sentenced to prison in what the U.S. considers show trials.