Conflict and division have descended over Mexico’s ruling party MORENA after one of their state governors went back to his post despite being a fugitive from the United States Department of Justice and facing a criminal indictment on drug trafficking and weapons charges. The move by the accused drug trafficker led to the MORENA party turning its back on him and publicly distancing itself from him.
As Breitbart Texas reported, the controversy began on Friday morning when Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya announced that he was returning to his office after stepping away in April following the news that he had been criminally indicted in the United States. Rocha Moya remains a wanted fugitive.
After Rocha Moya’s announcement, Mexico’s Secretary of the Interior Rosa Icela Rodriguez said during a news conference that Rocha Moya had made the decision on his own and had not consulted with other government officials. Rodriguez also revealed that Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office had not closed the investigation regarding Rocha Moya and that there was no reason for him to return to his post.
Soon after, the MORENA party leadership released a statement stating that no one from the party had spoken with Rocha Moya and that they were publicly distancing themselves from him.
Hours later, all the other state governors from the MORENA party issued a statement supporting Sheinbaum and calling on Rocha Moya to act in a mature and responsible manner. In their statement, they claimed that personal choices should not take precedence over the well-being of the political party.
Sheinbaum remained largely quiet on Friday after publishing a statement early Friday morning, saying she was under the weather with cold- or flu-like symptoms.
The silence from Mexico’s President stands in sharp contrast to her initial reaction in April, following news of Rocha Moya’s indictment, in which she claimed there was no evidence of wrongdoing and publicly challenged the U.S. Department of Justice. Sheinbaum claimed that the allegations were all politically motivated attempts to damage the MORENA party. Her comments at the time led to heightened tensions between Mexico and the U.S. government.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.