AMLO feared "El Mayo" Zambada revelations, ex-ambassador Salazar claims in new book

Former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar claims in a new book that former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador feared what drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada might reveal to U.S. authorities. Salazar also criticizes the chaotic migration policies of the Joe Biden administration and proposes a new alliance with Canada and Mexico.

Excerpts from the book, "Borderlands: My Fight for an Inclusive America," published by BenBella Books and set for release on July 28, have been shared by international and national media. These excerpts highlight the eventual distancing between Salazar and López Obrador's government. They also touch upon divisions within the Democratic Party regarding President Joe Biden's policies and his decision to seek re-election despite perceived weaknesses. Salazar outlines his vision for the relationship between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

Salazar recounts an incident from August 2024, where a Mexican businessman he identifies only as "The Whisperer" told him that López Obrador was "very worried about the information that the U.S. could obtain from El Mayo." The businessman, described as a friend and confidant of the Mexican president, suggested that the powerful and entrenched drug lord could expose numerous Mexican public officials.

Salazar, who began his tenure as a close figure to López Obrador but ended it estranged, defended his criticisms of the "hugs, not bullets" policy, which he deemed a failure. He also addressed judicial reform, stating his intention was not to infringe on Mexico's sovereignty. He noted that powerful transnational criminal cartels had compromised many government officials, and an elected judiciary would undoubtedly empower these cartels further.

Salazar also sharply criticizes the Donald Trump administration, attributing to it the division within the U.S. and what he calls the Republican's "erasure project", the dismantling of diversity, inclusion, and the norms that constrained his modern predecessors.