First, Bosnia-gate. Now, one of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s top campaign strategists met with Colombia’s ambassador to the U.S. early last week to discuss a bilateral free-trade agreement, a pact the presidential candidate has said she opposes.

Mark Penn’s visit was confirmed by two Colombian officials.

He wasn’t there in his campaign capacity, but as CEO of Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, an international communications and lobbying firm.

The firm has a pact with the South American nation to promote congressional approval of the trade deal, according the U.S. Justice Department.

Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, Mark Penn’s consulting firm, has received more than $10 million in payments from the Hillary Clinton campaign.

The free trade issue was critical to Hillary Clinton’s victory in the Ohio primary - especially after she accused rival Sen. Barack Obama of backroom talks with Canadian officials that may have contradicted his own stated positions.

In light of this recent revelation, Mark Penn quickly left his post within Hillary Clinton’s campaign. His consulting firm will continue to advise her presidential bid, but Penn will give up his job as chief strategist.

“After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as chief strategist of the Clinton campaign,” campaign head Maggie Williams said.

Hillary Clinton, whose own stances on free trade are up for debate despite her bashing Obama on the same issue, did not answer questions about Penn’s exit.

What happens next? Penn’s departure signals little dramatic shift in message for Clinton in coming weeks, writes the Politico’s Ben Smith, but may come as a relief to loyalists who wanted the divisive image-meister sacked for months.

Few in Clinton’s inner circle foresee a dramatic shift in direction, since the largest remaining electoral contest in this long, contentious race for the Democratic nomination, the Pennsylvania primary, takes place in just 15 days.

The biggest consequence of this recent development may be to the morale inside a tumultuous campaign where Mark Penn’s compensation, his attention to his own business, and his gruff demeanor made him a polarizing figure.