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Mexican president accuses US Pentagon of spying on his government after explosive report

April 20, 2023 | | Print Article

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico accused the Pentagon of engaging in espionage against his government following an explosive report citing classified documents that were posted online as part of the leak of highly sensitive intelligence material that, in addition to exposing information on the war in Ukraine, also showed that the U.S. is conducting surveillance on its allies and adversaries.

According to The Washington Post report based on over 300 photos of classified documents obtained by the paper and not publicly available, a leaked U.S. military assessment referred to the conflict between separate branches of the Mexican armed forces, specifically the Army and Navy regarding control over the country’s airspace.

During his daily press briefing on Tuesday, López Obrador – or AMLO as he is popularly known – vowed tougher safeguards on Mexico’s classified information to protect the country from a threat to national security from potential snooping by the Biden regime.

“We’re going to take care of information from the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense because we’re the object of espionage by the Pentagon,” El Presidente said to reporters, according to Bloomberg, adding that several media organizations in Mexico are “leaking information provided by the DEA.”

On Monday, López Obrador described the U.S. intelligence contained in the leaks as an “abusive, overbearing intrusion that should not be accepted under any circumstance,” according to Reuters, adding that he had no plans to rebuke his northern neighbor but at some point would be discussing “conditions for collaborative work.”

While the WaPo noted that “there was no indication that the briefing item was derived from U.S. wiretaps or intercepts of Mexican authorities,” the report wasn’t warmly received by López Obrador who has been critical of the Biden administration at a time of tense relations between the two neighboring countries, particularly over illegal immigrants, the flow of drugs across the southern U.S. border and the abduction and murder of U.S. travelers last month in the border city of Matamoros.

AMLO also blasted the arrest of former President Donald J. Trump in the case brought against the 2024 Republican frontrunner by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

“Supposedly legal issues should not be used for electoral, political purposes,” he said. “That’s why I don’t agree with what they are doing to ex-President Trump.”

“We have engaged with our allies and partners since these leaks came out, and we have done so at high levels, and we have made clear our commitment to safeguarding intelligence and our commitment to our security partnerships,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said of the leaked document and the effect that reports of the contents have had on U.S. allies.

“What I’ve heard so far at least is an appreciation for the steps that we’re taking, and it’s not affected our cooperation. I just haven’t seen that. I haven’t heard that,” the nation’s top diplomat added.

The accused leaker, 21-year-old National Guard member Jack Teixeira was arrested by federal agents at his home in North Dighton, Massachusetts last week and is being charged under the Espionage Act.

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Chris Donaldson
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