Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
- 🇪🇸 Madrid mayor’s Mexico visit: Sheinbaum criticized opposition politicians for meeting with Isabel Díaz Ayuso, calling her a “far-right” representative and accusing the opposition of sharing her views, including opposition to welfare programs and a favorable stance toward the Spanish Conquest.
- 🏛️ Rocha’s leave was his own call: Sheinbaum denied having asked Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya to step aside, saying the governor — who is accused of colluding with the Sinaloa Cartel — chose to take leave voluntarily to avoid affecting Sinaloa and the 4T movement. She confirmed she will meet with interim Governor Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde, but no date has been set.
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⚖️ Rocha case: Mexico demands proof: The Foreign Affairs Ministry sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday requesting hard evidence to support drug trafficking allegations against Rocha and nine other officials. Sheinbaum maintains that the published U.S. indictment lacks sufficient proof for arrest or extradition.
Why today’s mañanera matters
At her Wednesday morning press conference, President Sheinbaum commented on two of the most topical issues in Mexico: the visit of the Mayor of Madrid and the drug trafficking accusations against Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, who is currently on leave.
Sheinbaum seized on the opportunity to criticize Mexican opposition politicians for meeting with Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who represents and leads the conservative People’s Party of the Community of Madrid. She also emphasized the ideological differences between the political movement she leads — the “fourth transformation” or 4T — and the Mexican opposition.
With regard to the case against Rocha — a political ally of the president — Sheinbaum reiterated her view that the U.S. allegations are not supported by hard proof in the superseding indictment published online last week. She continues to steadfastly defend the 4T movement, which includes the ruling Morena party, and Mexican sovereignty, declaring that it is up to Mexican authorities to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to arrest Rocha and nine other Mexicans accused in the same indictment.
Sheinbaum comments on Madrid mayor’s visit to Mexico
After asking reporters what the first name of the mayor of Madrid is, Sheinbaum declared that Díaz Ayuso — who is currently visiting Mexico — is “one of the representatives of the far-right in Spain.”
“What statements has she made, for example?” the president asked before highlighting remarks the Madrid mayor made about Mexico’s welfare programs.
“[She has said] ‘How are they going to give money to the people?” Sheinbaum said.
“What other statements has she made? ‘We have to acknowledge Hernán Cortés. How is it possible that Hernán Cortés isn’t recognized — these Indians needed to be civilized,’” she said, purporting to paraphrase Díaz Ayuso.
Sheinbaum said that the Madrid mayor “has the right to come to Mexico,” but added: “That doesn’t mean there is no debate about what she says.”
“We don’t close the door to anyone. She has the right to be here, but it’s important to know what she says, who she meets with and who brought her [to Mexico],” she said.
“… [Mexican] mayors and governors from the opposition are showing off photos with her. What does that mean? That they think like her,” Sheinbaum said, referring to political leaders such as Governor Teré Jimenez of Aguascalientes and Alessandra Rojo de la Vega, mayor of the Mexico City borough of Cuauhtémoc.
“In other words, [they support] the recognition of Hernán Cortés, [they think] that there shouldn’t be welfare programs, that the poor are poor because they don’t work,” she said.
“That’s the view [they have], the view of conservatism here,” Sheinbaum said.
Madrid mayor’s pro-Conquest rhetoric sours her visit to Mexico for many
The president asserted that Mexican opposition politicians brought Díaz Ayuso to Mexico as their “guest” in order “to promote what she thinks.”
“And they think that this is the best thing for Mexico. It’s a national project [they’re proposing] — that there aren’t welfare programs, that we recognize Hernán Cortés, among other things,” Sheinbaum said.
“… There is another national project that at least 70% of Mexicans support,” the president said, referring to the “fourth transformation” (4T) political project she leads.
Sheinbaum: Rocha made his own decision to take leave as governor
Sheinbaum indicated that she would meet with the interim Governor of Sinaloa, Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde, who was sworn in last Saturday after Rubén Rocha Moya stepped down temporarily while the Federal Attorney General’s Office investigates U.S. prosecutors’ allegations that he colluded with the Sinaloa Cartel in a drug trafficking conspiracy.
“We haven’t agreed on a time, but of course we have to continue helping the people of Sinaloa and the interim governor that the [state] Congress appointed,” she said.
Sheinbaum rejected the suggestion that she asked Rocha to step down, stressing that the governor made his own decision to take leave.
She acknowledged Rocha’s stated rationale for his decision.
“He said, ‘I’m requesting leave while the investigation continues because I don’t want to affect the people of Sinaloa or the [4T] movement to which I belong,” Sheinbaum said.
“It’s a decision he took,” she said before noting that the mayor of Culiacán — who U.S. prosecutors also accuse of drug trafficking — also took leave.
“… It’s a matter for them, it’s not a matter for the president,” Sheinbaum said.
SRE sends diplomatic note to US seeking ‘proof’ in Rocha case
Sheinbaum reiterated that Mexican authorities have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to provide “proof” that Rocha and nine other Sinaloa-based current and former officials engaged in drug trafficking in collusion with the Sinaloa Cartel. The president last week endorsed the view of the Federal Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) that there is a lack of hard proof to detain Rocha and the other suspects for the purpose of extradition to the U.S.
On Wednesday morning, she said that view is “perfectly rational.”
“Give us proof because there is no proof,” remarked Sheinabaum, who has said that without proof Mexican authorities cannot arrest or extradite the 10 suspects.
She said that the SRE on Tuesday sent a diplomatic note to the United States to request that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York provide proof to Mexico to support the accusations against Rocha and the other nine defendants.
“What proof do they have? Because what they published is a document of what someone said, with a page … with a handwritten note that says Juanito — 30,000 pesos,” Sheinbaum said, referring to the U.S. indictment.
“That’s how it is,” she said.
“This is public. So what do we say as a government — proof,” Sheinbaum said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
