A campaign that is embarrassing

The attack against Claudia Sheinbaum is occurring on several fronts. Right now, with the Penilla case, the PAN took advantage of the campaign by inventing a stumble by the President; within her own camp, legal provisions are being approved that openly contradict her, such as nepotism, a practice foreign to and even contrary to her point of view; and, most regrettably, she herself is forced to promote and applaud a reform such as that of the Judicial Branch, which alters the republican balance and costs the treasury a fortune, which the president found practically empty.

Sheinbaum sent an initiative to Congress to suppress reelection and prevent a relative from leaving his position to another, but, if necessary, it was demonstrated once again that there are influential people in the Chambers who do not like her and who will do everything to harm her, with an eye on 2027, when there is a recall of the mandate. Hence those measures that limit her ability to govern.

The so-called Penilla case is another stone in the presidential path, at least that is how the adversaries of the head of the Executive want to see it, by accusing her of maintaining political ties with the lawyer Juan Pablo Penilla Rodríguez, a partner in the law firm headed by Sergio Arturo Ramírez Muñoz, an individual affiliated with Morena since February 26, 2018, who was substitute for deputy Sergio Mayer, also from the cherry party.

According to information provided to the press by Jorge Triana Tena, spokesman for the National Executive Committee of the PAN, Ramírez Muñoz's law firm was the lawyer for Z40, who is none other than Miguel Treviño Morales, head of the Zetas Cartel. Now, as a representative of the same firm, Penilla Rodríguez is the lawyer or legal advisor for El Mayo Zambada. In both cases there is no crime on the part of the lawyers, although in doing so they show undesirable ethics.

This point must be stressed. Criminal lawyers advise and defend real or alleged criminals, but that does not make them criminals, unless they participate in criminal acts, which is another thing. Much less can we, in this case, speak of complicity between Claudia Sheinbaum and criminals. Every day and almost at all hours, throughout the length and breadth of the national territory, the lady is receiving greetings from people she does not know, even if they are from her party. The accusation or the mere suggestion of complicity reveals the scoundrel stupidity of the accusers.

What the President should do is to clarify the links between these lawyers and Morena figures. They are responsible for avoiding bad company, because they know who the specimens are that bring them closer to the President, who, in many cases, turn out to be individuals of dubious honesty, who generously finance the campaigns of careless or downright compromised politicians. However, up to now, we do not know that Morena has initiated any investigation in this regard, perhaps because everyone has a tail to step on.

The ruling party is obliged to clarify the facts and severely sanction those who bring dirty money and dangerous friendships to Morena. In this case, some names have already come to light: Ana Lilia Rivera Rivera, Lucía Trasviña, Rocío Abreu and Juan Carlos Loera de la Rosa, who participated in the events in which the lawyers mentioned here were recognized. Also, the PAN member María Teresa Castell is accused of being the organizer of the event in which Penilla was awarded the Pro Humanitas Prize.

These regrettable episodes should lead the country to an electoral reform that totally prohibits private sponsorship, but for now there is no party that supports such an initiative, among other reasons, because Morena has gotten involved in another reform, the judicial one, which will harm the nation for many years.

For now, Claudia Sheinbaum has come out to demand that the Morena supporters who recruited Miguel Ángel Yunes clarify their motives. Hopefully she will go further and, to start with, succeed in removing the current leadership of the Senate. For the health of the Republicans, it is urgent to stop the infamous sabotage of the president, that campaign that is embarrassing, or shameful, if you want to call it that.