López Obrador explodes against 'The New York Times' for an investigation into alleged drug financing in his 2018 campaign

Andrés Manuel López Obrador revealed that the American newspaper

is conducting an investigation into drug trafficking money that his children and close collaborators allegedly received for the 2018 presidential campaign, in which he was elected president of Mexico.

Although the report has not been published, the president read the questionnaire that the media sent to collect his version.

López Obrador denied the allegations, which stem from an investigation by the DEA (the US anti-narcotics agency), and demanded that Joe Biden's Administration clarify the matter.

“With what right do they investigate a legitimately constituted Government?” the president questioned, “Are they the Government of the world?”

The president explained that the American newspaper sent a questionnaire to collect its version, a necessary requirement before the publication of any report, especially if the allegations of the journalistic investigation are serious.

It is not common, however, for the questionnaire to be made public before the note is published and it is usually a resource for those in question to shield themselves from the information that is exposed or to undermine the credibility of the investigations.

López Obrador accused that the tone of the letter was “threatening and arrogant” and called the media a “filthy pasquín.”

“It is a shame, there is no doubt that this type of journalism

“It is in clear decline,” he said.

The questionnaire states that the DEA investigated López Obrador's children and members of his circle of collaborators for receiving millions of dollars from members of organized crime.

In recent weeks, a report published by journalist Tim Golden on the

portal had already come to light about another DEA investigation that followed the trail of drug financing in the 2006 campaign, the first time that López Obrador sought presidency, but which was closed when no elements were found to prosecute a crime.

The president also discredited that investigation and said that the allegations were false.

This second investigation is based on testimonies from informants, who stated that “close allies of the president met with drug cartels.”

“In the end, the investigation was closed after US authorities recognized that it could provoke a diplomatic conflict with Mexico.

To a large extent, the decision was made after the reaction of the Mexican Government when the United States arrested General Salvador Cienfuegos in 2020,” reads the first question of the questionnaire.

“Did the president or members of the Government know about a recent investigation?” asks the newspaper.

“In other words, they were afraid of us because Mexico is respected,” said the president.

“This is all false, completely,” he added.

López Obrador said that he did not know about the investigation and reiterated that the information is “false.”

“You are fakers, those of the

and those who sent you to do the report,” he responded when the outlet asked his opinion in the questionnaire.

Since the Propublica investigation, López Obrador has maintained that the DEA has leaked information to weaken his government and has pointed out that there is no evidence that demonstrates links between the drug trafficker and his government.

One of the money deliveries, it is inferred from reading the questionnaire, was supposedly made by a close friend of Ismael

Zambada, founder of the Sinaloa Cartel and historical leader along with Joaquín

Guzmán.

The United States last week charged El Mayo with two counts of fentanyl trafficking.

“An informant said that one of the officials closest to the president met with Ismael Zambada,” the letter reads.

López Obrador rejected that the new accusations against El Mayo are a way to put pressure on his government.

Another question refers to the testimony of another informant who points out that one of the founders of the Zetas “paid four million dollars to two allies of López Obrador, one an official assistant and another an advisor, in the hope of getting out of prison.”

In another excerpt, a third witness assures that there are videos of the president's children receiving money from drug trafficking and that López Obrador's intermediaries received money from organized crime in transfers made during a visit by the president to Sinaloa in March 2020, in which " “He met with the mother of

Guzmán.”

“They are professional slanderers, world famous,” the president said.

López Obrador also denied that bilateral relations with Washington would be affected by the investigation.

“There is your answer, we are going to wait for the report,” he stated.

Although he sent a message to the US authorities: “The US Government is now going to have to report.”

Finally, in the final minutes of his morning conference this Thursday, the president ironically commented on the accusations against his close circle with a song by Chico Che: “Wow, how scary, look how I'm trembling.”

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