Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador issued a warning to Republicans on Thursday, stating that he may launch a “information campaign” in the United States urging Mexicans and Hispanics not to vote for them unless U.S. lawmakers change their stance toward Mexico. This threat, which appears to be an act of election interference by the country’s leader, was made in response to US demands for action against fentanyl cartels smuggling across the border.
He stated,“Starting today we are going to start an information campaign for Mexicans who live and work in the United States and for all Hispanics to inform them of what we are doing in Mexico and how this initiative by the Republicans, in addition to being irresponsible, is an offense against the people of Mexico, a lack of respect for our independence, our sovereignty.”
“And if they do not change their attitude and think that they are going to use Mexico for their propaganda, electoral, and political purposes, we are going to call for them not to vote for that party, because it is interventionist, inhumane, hypocritical, and corrupt.”
Lopez Obrador issued a statement in response to Republican lawmakers’ calls for action against the ongoing smuggling of fentanyl into the United States, including suggestions for military intervention. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called on the US to unleash “fury and might” against Mexican drug cartels on Wednesday.
In statements issued on Thursday, Lopez Obrador denied Mexico’s fentanyl production and attempted to shift blame to the United States.
According to him, “Fentanyl is not produced here, and it is not consumed here. Why don’t they [the United States] address their problem of social decay?”
Fox News reported:
“We’re going to unleash the fury and might of the United States against these cartels,” Graham said. “We’re going to destroy their business model and their lifestyle because our national security and the security of the United States as a whole depends on us taking decisive action.”
Graham said that he intends to introduce legislation that would designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) and authorize the U.S. to use military force to go into Mexico and destroy the drug networks.
“Not to invade Mexico, not to shoot Mexican airplanes down, but to destroy drug labs that are poisoning Americans,” he said.
“We’d like to help you, but we’re not going to sit on the sidelines anymore as a nation and watch our neighbor become a narco-state that kills more Americans in a single year than we lost in Vietnam,” he said.
Mexico’s current President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, took office on December 1, 2018. He is a left-wing politician who previously served as Mexico City Mayor from 2000 to 2005. He ran unsuccessfully for president in 2006 and 2012 before winning the presidency in 2018. Throughout his presidency, he has worked to combat corruption, reduce violence, and promote social welfare programs.
