Ken Salazar Revives Allegations Without Proof Against AMLO in Preview of His Memoirs

ByEl Soberano

This article originally appeared in the June 21, 2026 edition of El Soberano, a left-wing Mexican news outlet.

The former United States ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, once again generated controversy by spreading new claims about former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador in a preview of his memoirs published by Reforma.

According to the former diplomat, a businessman close to López Obrador reportedly told him that the then-president was worried about the information that Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada could provide to United States authorities after his capture. According to Salazar, the concern lay in an alleged involvement of Mexican officials.

However, the statements presented by the former ambassador are based on indirect references and private conversations whose veracity has not been publicly corroborated nor accompanied by documentary evidence.

The revelations come after Salazar held various disagreements with the Mexican government, particularly on issues such as the judicial reform and the security policy promoted by the López Obrador administration.

During his diplomatic tenure, the former ambassador was repeatedly criticized for intervening in Mexico’s internal affairs and issuing opinions on sovereign decisions of the country, which provoked recurring tensions with the federal government.

So far, there is no public information that backs up the versions spread by Salazar about an alleged concern of the former president related to the “El Mayo” Zambada case. The claims form part of a memoir and are supported solely by the testimony of the former United States official.

Analysts have pointed out that this type of publication tends to combine personal experiences with interpretations of political events, so its content must be contrasted against verifiable facts and independent evidence.