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Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is defending his determination to make public the cellphone variety of a New York Occasions reporter throughout a press convention on Thursday.
López Obrador argued that Mexico's regulation on the safety of private knowledge didn’t apply to him as president.
The problem started when the Occasions revealed a narrative by Mexico bureau chief Natalie Kittroff about how U.S. regulation enforcement had reportedly spent years investigating doable ties between drug traffickers and other people near the Mexican president.
Earlier than publishing the article, Kitroff despatched a letter to López Obrador's spokesperson requesting remark. The letter contained his cellphone quantity.
Throughout his every day press convention on Thursday, López Obrador held the unedited letter up on a giant display screen and browse it aloud, together with the numbers.
The New York Occasions instantly condemned the President's actions.
In response to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's press convention this morning: pic.twitter.com/C0NI8aMb4F
— NYTimes Communications (@NYTimesPR) 22 February 2024
“This can be a disturbing and unacceptable technique from a world chief at a time when threats in opposition to journalists are rising,” the newspaper wrote in a press release posted on Twitter.
López Obrador was unapologetic about his actions on Friday.
The Related Press stories, “President Andrés Manuel López Obrador mentioned that 'the political and ethical authority of the President of Mexico is above that of the regulation,' including that 'no regulation may be above the elegant precept of liberty.' ' He additionally accused the American media of performing 'arrogantly'.
The report continued, “He additionally downplayed the threats to journalists, saying it was 'an previous music that you simply (reporters) use to defame our authorities,' and advised to the Occasions reporter that he 'It’s best to change your phone quantity.'