Former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar responded on July 8 to remarks made by President Claudia Sheinbaum concerning the abduction of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, stating that both he and then-Attorney General Merrick Garland communicated with the Mexican government on July 25 and 26, 2024.
In the message, the former diplomat reiterated his denial that this was a U.S. operation, following reports from media outlets such as *Pie de Nota*—which revealed that the FBI had allegedly participated in the capture of the long-time criminal leader.
“The truth is the truth,” the former official wrote in the statement published on social media, addressing the President’s questions regarding who was lying about the Zambada case.
The statement came hours after the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) accused Salazar of allegedly violating three instruments of international law by denying, on August 9, 2024, any involvement by U.S. agents in the operation.
The federal prosecutor’s office noted that if FBI involvement were confirmed, it would constitute violations by Ken Salazar of Article 2 of the UN Charter, Article 26 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, and prohibitions under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The former ambassador published the statement at 5:08 p.m. Central Mexico Time on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
Salazar began the text with a direct response: “President Claudia Sheinbaum has asked a question: Who told the truth? Let me answer it clearly.”
He went on to state that both he and then-Attorney General Merrick Garland informed the Mexican government—through both public statements and direct communication—on July 25 and 26, 2024, about the arrests of Zambada and Joaquín “El Güero” Guzmán. “It wasn’t our plane, it wasn’t our pilot, and it wasn’t our operation,” the former official wrote, concluding that part of the statement with the phrase: “The truth is the truth.”
Salazar also noted that he addresses this episode in his book *Borderlands: My Fight for an Inclusive America*, in a chapter titled “The Door Closes.” He described the text at the center of the controversy as a call to build a new North American alliance that addresses the region’s economic, security, and climate issues, and expressed his hope that this message would be embraced by the peoples of the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
