Lopez Obrador, shortly before meeting with the US vice president, said the money was promoting a “ form of coup ”.
Mexico sent a diplomatic note asking the United States to explain the funding of an anti-corruption group critical of the government, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said shortly before a planned call with US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Lopez Obrador said the official protest was sent because of the Mexicans funding against corruption and impunity, a group that investigates political corruption. He said the group was seeking to undermine his government.
“This is promoting a form of coup,” said Lopez Obrador, describing the funding which includes money from the US Agency for International Development, commonly known as USAID, as an affront to the sovereignty of Mexico.
“This is why we are asking that (the US government) clarify this for us. A foreign government cannot provide money to political groups, ”he said.
On its website, Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity lists USAID among its funders.
The organization has published reports criticizing some of Lopez Obrador’s main initiatives, including the cancellation a partially constructed airport in Mexico City and the construction of a tourist train around the Yucatan Peninsula.
In the diplomatic note shown by Lopez Obrador on Friday, Mexico said it respects the role of civil society organizations and shares an interest in eliminating corruption, but said those linked to the group “have been explicit in their political activism against the government of Mexico “.
The note, dated Thursday, asked the US embassy to confirm financial support from the US Agency for International Development and, if appropriate, to suspend it.
Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity posted on Twitter Thursday that his work was completely legal.
“We reiterate the absolute legality of our work,” he said, rejecting any suggestion of interventionism, while demanding that what he said had become constant attacks by the government to stop.
Lopez Obrador’s complaint came hours before he was set to meet virtually Friday with Harris to discuss migration and other bilateral issues.
Lopez Obrador, however, said he would not raise the issue when meeting with Harris, who was the Biden administration’s contact person in responding to a wave of undocumented migrants at the joint US-Mexico border. .
During the virtual meeting, Harris and Lopez Obrador agreed to tackle what they called the root causes of migration from Central America – violence and corruption.
