By Diego Oré
MEXICO CITY, May 21 (Reuters) – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has told officials from her ruling Morena party to resign if they are involved in acts of corruption, according to two party sources, amid increased pressure from the U.S. against politicians in Mexico with alleged ties to the country’s powerful drug cartels.
Sheinbaum delivered the message at a meeting with Morena governors last Thursday at the National Palace, according to the sources. A week prior on May 7, she made the same request in a meeting with party lawmakers.
Neither the presidency nor Morena responded to requests for comment.
“The ultimatum was that if they are involved in anything shady, they must resign and face the consequences,” said one of the Morena sources, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity because the meeting was private. Sheinbaum did not mention names nor say what action would be taken if officials did not step down, the sources said.
Her message to party officials, which has not been previously reported, is the latest example of the fallout from the high-profile U.S. indictment announced last month that charged Sinaloa State Governor Ruben Rocha and other current and former officials with alleged involvement with the Sinaloa Cartel.
In public, Sheinbaum has criticized the U.S. extradition requests that accompanied the indictment, saying they lacked sufficient evidence for Mexico to issue arrest warrants. She has requested “clear” proof from the U.S. and said if it is not forthcoming, the charges appear politically motivated.
But the private meetings with Morena suggest Sheinbaum is taking a different tack within her own party.
Rocha is an influential Morena official and close ally of former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Sheinbaum’s predecessor and mentor. Rocha, who denies wrongdoing, has temporarily stepped aside as a local investigation proceeds.
Reuters previously reported that the U.S. indictment triggered a rift in Morena as factions jostle over how to respond, with some wanting Rocha and others to be protected from U.S. interventionism while another group advocates for combating corruption within party ranks.
FEARS OF US CAMPAIGN
The two party sources said there is also growing concern within Morena that the U.S. will use anti-terrorism laws to go after officials and that Morena itself could be implicated, like several Mexican cartels have been.
When asked about that possibility at a regular press conference, Sheinbaum batted it away, saying she saw “no risk” of Morena being designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
But behind closed doors, the sources said Sheinbaum has delivered a different message, warning party officials of the risks to Morena and its allies if corruption allegations continue to fester.
“We must guarantee the future of Morena,” she told her party members.
Sheinbaum is set to receive Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Thursday as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate.
DIPLOMATIC SPAT
Last month, the death of two U.S. officials in a car crash in northern Mexico sparked a diplomatic spat over what they were doing traveling with a convoy of Mexican security forces returning from a raid on a drug lab. Sources told Reuters the U.S. officials were CIA officers.
The presence of U.S. personnel in anti-cartel operations is a deeply sensitive matter in Mexico. Sheinbaum has long maintained that she welcomes intelligence sharing and security cooperation but will not accept U.S. agents or forces participating in operations on Mexican territory.
In contrast, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for greater use of U.S. military force to combat Mexican cartels, and has threatened that the U.S. could go it alone if Washington feels Mexico isn’t doing enough.
With tensions simmering, a U.S. Department of State official said the government had started a review of the more than 50 Mexican consulates operating in the United States, a move that could result in the closure of some diplomatic offices.
(Reporting by Diego Oré; Editing by Stephen Eisenhammer)
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