Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador publicly revealed the phone number of a New York Times journalist on Thursday to complain about an investigation linking his entourage to drugs, drawing the American daily's ire.
During his usual televised press conference, Mr. Lopez Obrador read out the questions sent by the newspaper seeking his reaction, along the way providing that journalist's phone number.
The New York Times condemned
The survey was released Thursday in English and Spanish. Accordingly, an investigation by American officials succeeded in uncovering “possible connections between powerful cartel operators and officials and advisers” close to Mr. Lopez Obrador.
The article claims that someone close to the president met Ismael Zambada, one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, before his election victory in 2018.
“The United States never opened a formal investigation into Lopez Obrador, and the officials responsible for the investigation archived it,” specifies the New York Times.
The Mexican president has called on the American government to explain.
In late January, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Tim Golden published an investigation in online media company ProPublica alleging that the Sinaloa Cartel paid $2 million to the first of Mr. Lopez Obrador's three campaigns in 2006.
The president denounced “immoral practices” and “defamation” a few days before the official start of the campaign for the presidential election on June 2nd and accused his political opponents of being behind it.
The ruling Morenoa Party candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum, is the clear favorite.
On January 26, a cybersecurity expert in Mexico denounced the disclosure of personal data of more than 300 journalists that appeared to come from a presidential database, raising concerns among press freedom defenders.
The Mexican president had promised an investigation and, as usual, accused his “opponents” of wanting to wage a “dirty war” just a few months before the elections.