Jairo Ortega was a member of the Colombian Chamber of Representatives during the 1980s. He ran for parliament as the head of the Civic Action Movement with Pablo Escobar as his alternate, and Ortega was a puppet of the Medellin Cartel, attempting to frame Minister of Justice Rodrigo Lara for having partnerships with drug cartels in revenge for Lara's hatred of Escobar. This attempt failed, however, and Escobar was ejected from congress.