US Ambassador Ken Salazar Claims Leaked Intel Cables Were Not from the US; Mexican Senators Deny Corruption Claims, AMLO Calls them False

 "Socalj" for Borderland Beat

During his visit to Campeche, Oaxaca, the United States Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, ruled out that the alleged cables linking the elected governor of Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal, with the Cartel del Noreste came from the US government.

"The cables are not from the United States, period." Stated US Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar.

On September 19, the journalist Héctor de Mauleón published the column entitled "Américo Villarreal, financed by the Northeast Cartel: EU", in which he leaked alleged cables sent on March 14 by Salazar to North American agencies such as the Control Administration of Drugs (DEA); the Treasury Department; and the Department of Justice. 

“In that document, classified as Top Secret in the MX TOPKK 389 ID AI P60 file, the ambassador pointed out that, according to DEA sources, the missing sailors could have been commissioned by both the financial operator of the cartel and by Senator Morena. to transport money obtained from drug trafficking. The columnist suggests that the funds would seek to benefit the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) in the elections of the State of Mexico in 2023. 

He also recalls the disappearance of sailors Óscar Manuel González Andrade and Victoriano Rodríguez Zurita – assigned to protect the security of the Morenoite senator, José Narro Céspedes; and businessman Gerardo Teodoro Vazquez Barrera, "El Gerry" allegedly linked to organized crime group Cartel del Noreste (CDN).

Photo showing the Senators as well as “El Gerry” (circled). The four fingered hand sign is for the “4th Transformation” campaign promise of the MORENA party.

"El Gerry" disappeared in March 2022 after meeting in a restaurant with Senator José Narro Céspedes and with Américo Villarreal himself. The senator uploaded photos of him to Twitter in which he appears conversing with them. That same day the Marines disappeared who, according to known documents, were assigned to provide Narro protection during his trip.

Borderland Beat Analysis of Leaked Documents

The leaked documents consist of two diplomatic cables coming from 'K. Salazar' regarding both the pair of missing marines and regarding bank account transfers to the son of then Senator, now Governor-elect Villarreal. Also attached are VP Bank statements from September 2021 to January 2022 with multiple large transfer deposits and withdrawals claiming to be bribe money from "El Gerry" and the Cartel del Noreste for campaign financing of the Morena party for the next year.

It is being claimed that the documents are fake. When asked, Ken Salazar only replied "They are not from the US" this could mean either that they are fake, or simply that the leak of the documents didn't come from him or his department. He has not elaborated or issued an official statement yet.

In this closeup circled in red, the 7 from the second line has been placed over a 7 on the top line to show the size difference in text.

The original closeup.

The memos, dated March 14, 2022, feature standard formatting for such cables including content tags, and reference numbers, and were addressed to multiple agencies including the DEA, DOD, DHS, FBI, Treasury, and to all posts in Mexico. They are marked Confidential Top Secret.

The VP Bank statements (a tax haven bank with branches in the British Virgin Islands, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein) are where some irregularities are most visible.

The amounts of deposits have been circled in pen prior to the scanning or copying of the documents so it is faint. But several of the numbers feature inconsistent font sizes, most notably the one highlighted below. While there is printing/scanning distortion throughout the documents, this would not account for the difference in font size or color. This could mean some of the statements have been doctored but no confirmation or originals have been produced yet. Bank statements, being computer generated, would likely have consistent font sizes throughout the same sections.

Journalist Hector De Mauleon for El Universal.

Source of Leaked Cables

The journalist Hector De Mauleon has since responded with his defense and source on the materials released.

"Last Friday, a source who has shared sensitive information with me several times, without this having ever been called into question, sent me a folder containing a set of supposedly confidential cables that allegedly came from the United States embassy, ​​and were addressed to various organizations in that country," he stated during a followup article on El Universal.

"I asked the source where the documents came from and if there was absolute certainty that they were authentic. He answered yes, and added that they came from one of the aforementioned organizations.

I asked if there was a way to verify its authenticity with the leaker himself. He agreed and offered to put me in touch with him. That contact explained to me how those papers had come into his hands and assured me that they were part of an open file against Mexican politicians financed by the huachicol and the drug cartels.

Ambassador Ken Salazar stated yesterday that the documents I released on Monday did not come from the United States government. But my source and the official who handed them over stand by what they said. They are good and prove that there is illicit money financing politics."

"I think that doesn't matter at the moment. Faced with the ambassador's position (expressed, not through an official document, but in a monosyllabic sidewalk statement), I have no choice but to apologize to the readers, and to the characters that appear in the documents that I published in this column: Senator José Narro Céspedes, and the elected governor of Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal Anaya. I was wrong? Did they cheat on me? We will see." stated De Mauleon.

The leaked documents are claimed to be confidential diplomatic cables from US Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar regarding the missing marines and bank transactions to the son of Governor-elect Villarreal of Tamaulipas.

Denial from US Ambassador Ken Salazar Regarding Leaked Cables

When Salazar was questioned on the subject when he was in the company of the Governors of Oaxaca, Alejandro Murat; and from Campeche Layda Sansores, in the framework of the Sixth meeting of governors of the south-southeast.

Given this, the ambassador responded briefly and concisely: "the cables are not from the United States, period."

Governor-Elect (then Senator) American Villarreal denies any connections to “El Gerry”.

Denial from Governor-Elect Americo Villarreal Regarding Meeting & Financing

Américo Villarreal denied the accusations and assured that he did not know the identity of those involved in the meeting in the country's capital, where he assured that he only took an incidental photo with them.

"I flatly deny any type of relationship that links me with Gerardo Teodoro Vázquez Barrera, alleged financial operator of the Northeast Cartel. Because there has never been any link between the two, any information that seeks to involve me with him is completely unfounded, and has the sole purpose of distorting the truth," he said. “I am sure that the embassy itself will be in charge of making the corresponding clarification. Only the government of the United States of America can declare about it,” he noted.

Villarreal affirms that, except for Narro, he did not know any of the people who sat next to him the day that El Gerry and the Marines disappeared. "It would be Narro who should respond to that," said people from his team. 

Villarreal's team assures that the account statements are "fake": part of a political construction that only seeks to hurt him.

Mr. Director:

I respectfully greet you and thank you for your attention in responding and clarifying the information that was published this Monday in your prestigious newspaper, signed by the journalist Héctor de Mauleón in his column In the third person, and entitled: “Américo Villarreal, financed by the Northeast Cartel: USA”.

First. In that article, the journalist De Mauleón deduces and affirms, in the title of his column and at the end of it, based on alleged "Top Secret" information, that an organized crime cartel financed my campaign: This affirmation is totally biased and false.

Second. The journalist refers in the article that I met with a character named Gerardo Teodoro Vázquez Barrera, alias El Gerry, and two marines who later disappeared. This statement is completely false. I never met them. That photograph where they appear was occasional. They arrived and asked for a photo after greeting Senator Narro, with whom I had lunch scheduled.

Third. The journalist takes for granted the alleged disappearance of "two elements of the Navy and the alleged financial operator of the Northeast Cartel: Gerardo Teodoro Vázquez Barrera, El Gerry." It is important to confirm that I do not have any type of information that I can contribute to elucidate the situation. It should be noted that it corresponds solely and exclusively to the authorities, with powers to investigate this type of circumstance, to resolve this type of case, and the Secretary of the Navy must be in charge of clarifying this situation in which two of its troops are supposedly involved. I insist I have no relationship with the facts raised by the journalist. Based on what has been said, any indication that is made, without support, transgresses the legal system and generates consequences.

Fourth. I flatly deny any type of relationship that links me to Gerardo Teodoro Vázquez Barrera, the alleged financial operator of the Northeast Cartel. Because there has never been any link between the two, any information that attempts to involve me with him is completely unfounded and has the sole purpose of distorting the truth, seeking to damage my reputation and my status as governor-elect of Tamaulipas. This is the same insulting and useless methodology that they tried against my candidacy throughout the entire campaign. They continue to do so because those who are behind the dissemination of this information know that very soon they will have to account for an unpresentable public administration, and for which they want to obtain impunity that they will not achieve.

Fifth. The information from Mr. De Mauleón, presumably leaked by the US Embassy, ​​fraudulently affirms transfers of millions of dollars from Vázquez Barrera to my son Humberto Francisco Villarreal Santiago. I insist: totally false.

I am sure that the Embassy itself will be in charge of making the corresponding clarification. Only the government of the United States of America can declare in this regard.

Sixth. I must say that these types of publications, which they affirm without having any type of support because they are false, are the continuation of an infertile dirty campaign attempted against me and my family. Similar initiatives were ruthlessly used to try to gain electoral gains but failed to discredit me.

Seventh. Malicious lies will not win. Obscurantism, which is typical of anachronistic parties and failed government efforts, will not continue to prevail. The old mafias of power, with their outworn tricks and bad intentions, have no place in the spirit of the Fourth Transformation that all Mexicans possess.

With honesty, transparency, and accountability, we are committed to generating spaces of tranquility and trust, where each person is responsible for what they say, by presenting the evidence that supports the information or accusations. And where we are all subject to the law, so that justice prevails. I reserve the possibility of promoting all legal initiatives that correspond to the protection of my good name and that of my family.

Finally, I want to hold responsible for these types of acts, the people who have repeatedly shown that they do not know how to lose, those who tried to steal the June 5 election by turning it into a state election, and those who have destroyed and looted Tamaulipas and who intend at all costs to continue doing so. These people know that their days in government are about to end, and I tell them that, even if they try until the last moment to muddy the start of a new administration, they will not be able to, because management for transformation is coming, based on the strength of an honest, humble and well-intentioned commitment that will serve the people. 

Therefore, the insult will not work for them. Mr. Director, we know the journalistic history of El Universal and we recognize your professionalism in the handling and treatment of information.

Office of Américo Villarreal, Governor-elect of Tamaulipas  

AMLO Defends Americo Villarreal & Claims False Information

During his morning press conference, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador commented on the leaked cables and defended his fellow party member. "But all this turned out to be false and the supposed cable sent is also apocryphal. On a tour of Campeche, the United States ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, denied the information published by Héctor de Mauleón in his column, the supposedly confidential cables turned out to be false."

The President said "I think it is part of the decomposition that the conservatives and those who dominated before are suffering, they are very desperate and are making many mistakes out of desperation, and there is a crisis in the apparatuses of the old regime, the apparatuses of control and manipulation are in crisis, then false information is generated that no longer obeys agency investigations.

For example, there they involve the DEA and everything is already so loose downstairs, which is part of the crisis, that there is no longer complete control. So, they can leak information without those reports being disclosed above or to higher authorities.

I know that when General Cienfuegos was involved, not even the United States Attorney knew about it. I mean, there's a lot of clutter downstairs.

And then they have supporters in the media. That there is some justification because a media outlet may have a source and that source may be the DEA, and there are outlets that have a close relationship with these agencies. So, a note like that comes out and it could be completely made up or it could be part of an agency leak. Of course, everything falls under its own weight, because in this case it is denied by the ambassador."

“It is part of the decomposition that conservatives suffer. They are very desperate. (...) Those who lost are betting that the election be annulled and they use all means and lie as they breathe,” stated AMLO. “I have the best concept of Américo Villarreal (...) I know him as a straight person. He gave me great pleasure when I found out the results because Tamaulipas needs a good government, honest people.”

"The lie is reactionary, the truth is revolutionary, the lie is of the devil, the truth is not."

Full AMLO press conference from 9/21/2022.

US Ambassador Salazar and Senator Narro in one of the photos he shared on his Twitter account following the accusations from the alleged leaked documents.

Denials from Senator Narro Céspedes

The Senator has repeatedly denied that the missing marines were ever assigned to him. And that he did not meet with nor know who “El Gerry” was when the photo was taken and claims it is a false attack from PAN to disrupt elections and taint the MORENA party.

“My respect and solidarity with the families of the Marines. They were never in my charge. Anybody that knows me, knows that I never travel around with bodyguards. My responsibility is to explain the facts before the Attorney General's Office and I did just that.” Narro stated via Twitter.

"The right does not run out of imagination to lie against the #4T project, even invented confidential "cables", of course, FALSE. We met with the US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, and confirmed the falsity of these leaks. We will take action." Wrote Narro on his Twitter account.

After the publication, Narro Céspedes shared a photograph with Ken Salazar on his Twitter account and stated that the US ambassador had ruled out the veracity of the leaked documents; however, the US diplomat did not make any official statement until September 20th, the following day.

Senator José Narro offered a press conference in which he assured that what Mauleón revealed was part of a narrative created by the National Action Party (PAN) to discredit Morena and the Tamaulipas elections.

“This day some information came out where it is intended to link us, or link Morena, or link to the electoral process in Tamaulipas within the framework of the narrative that the right and the PAN have made, to try to suggest that there was a narco-election in Tamaulipas,” stated the Morenista Senator who added that the alleged businessman had no pending criminal proceedings and suggested interventionism by United States authorities.

"I don't know if these documents were leaked by the DEA itself to try to blame the government and try to overthrow the election in Tamaulipas," added Narro Céspedes in the meeting with the press on September 20th, 2022. The senator only criticized the intervention of US agencies in the investigations against the party, but he did not distort the veracity of the documents. It was not until after his meeting with the Ambassador that he assured me that the leaked information was not true.

Marcos Aguilar Vega, PAN spokesman.

PAN Calls for Investigations into Corruption

PAN (National Action Party) demanded that the federal government investigate the financing of the Northeast cartel to the governor-elect of Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal. "The government must be consistent with the fight against corruption; if he does not do so, he will be an accomplice of the illegality," stated Marcos Aguilar Vega on PAN's website.

The PAN spokesman stated that today more than ever, the Morenista government is obliged to be consistent and clarify this act of corruption in order to respond to transparency and legality. Failure to do so, he stressed, would prove the illegality of the electoral process in which Villarreal won and he would be complicit in the illegality. This issue, said Aguilar Vega, is of the utmost importance for Mexico because it is demonstrating what National Action had already denounced: the illegal financing of Américo Villarreal's campaign and, in general, of the Morena party's electoral political activities.

Aguilar Vega added that National Action will be pending the case and will not stop demanding the application of the law to all those who fail to comply, since transparency and accountability are one of the fundamental stages of democratic electoral processes.

Where are the Missing Marines?

Victoriano Rodríguez Zurita, along with another marine, Oscar Manuel Gonzalez Andrade disappeared on March 5 after they were assigned to Mexico City (CDMX). It should be noted that both exercised their functions in a commission in Acapulco, Guerrero.

Since that day, Rodríguez did not establish any type of communication with his family: something unusual for him, because, according to his relatives, he always sought to establish contact. Hence, 10 days of uncertainty passed before the relatives received a call from an unknown number, supposedly from the Secretary of Public Security (SSP) of Acapulco, Lt. Serrano Perez.

However, the phone call confirmed their greatest fear by communicating that they had not known the whereabouts of Victoriano and his partner for days. According to the person, the last report revealed that both were escorting an official from the capital, whose identity was not revealed.

It was not until a month later that, after filing an injunction, Victoriano's family learned that the politician was Senator, José Narro Céspedes. This would have been later confirmed with a leaked report in which Maximiliano Serrano Pérez, Security Secretary of the Acapulcan port, reported that the municipal president, Abelina López Rodríguez, had requested two armed escorts for Narro Céspedes.

In a letter published in El Universal, Américo Villarreal denied having met with El Gerry and with "two sailors who subsequently disappeared." "I never met them," he wrote. That photograph where they appear was occasional.

There are contradictions that both politicians have incurred with respect to the issue of the missing sailors and their meeting, photographically documented, in a downtown restaurant. commercial Oasis Coyoacán, with Gerardo Teodoro Vázquez Barrera, "El Gerry," once detained for crimes against health and located as a financial operator of the Northeast Cartel.

The investigations, in which the Navy has participated, have pointed out that on the day of his disappearance, El Gerry, as well as the sailors Óscar González Andrade and Victoriano Rodríguez Zurita, had millions on their way to Acapulco. According to Central Axis, the financial operator had an appointment in Cuernavaca with characters from the Northeast Cartel, to which he did not arrive.

According to one family, the last telephone record was in a wooded area of ​​​​Morelos. Meanwhile, Victoriano's cell phone continues to be off. The noise of the "cables" will pass and the sailors will still not appear. And then the evidence, compiled by the DEA and the Navy, about the flow of dirty money into politics will be waiting.

Sources: Borderland Beat, El Universal, Elefante Blanco, Twitter/@NarroJose, PAN, Publimetro, Publimetro, Infobae, Infobae, El Universal, GOB.mx, Infobae

Graphic by HEARST