A federal senator from Mexico’s ruling MORENA party is facing backlash after he directly threatened a journalist who reported on a fellow party senator’s cartel connections and a cooperation agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, according to Breitbart News.
The dispute centers on Sen. Julieta Ramirez, who is currently running for governor of the border state of Baja California. This week, NMas+ news anchor Enrique Acevedo aired a special report showing that Ramirez had signed a proffer agreement with the DOJ as part of an investigation into politicians tied to drug cartels.
Ramirez had previously been identified as one of several MORENA politicians whose U.S. visas were revoked by the State Department over alleged cartel connections.
A direct threat on social media
The political conflict escalated when MORENA Sen. Luis Fernando Salazar went on social media to defend his colleague and attack Acevedo. In a tweet that has since been deleted, Salazar implied the anchor had been bribed — suggesting he received a “chayote,” a slang term for a payoff — and added, “vamos a ir tras de ti” (We are coming for you).
Acevedo used his news outlet to call out the threat. He said threats from politicians are especially concerning in a country like Mexico, where journalists are routinely targeted, attacked, and killed “for doing their job.”
After the backlash, Salazar deleted the tweet and posted several messages apologizing for the post, saying he believes in freedom of expression.
The proffer agreement at the center of the fight
The NMas+ report was investigated and written by journalists Alejandra Barriguete and Luis Villegas. According to Breitbart News, the journalists showed images of the proffer agreement in which the politician allegedly agreed to provide information in exchange for preferential treatment from U.S. prosecutors as part of an ongoing federal investigation.
A proffer agreement is a formal arrangement in which a person provides information to prosecutors under specific terms, often with the understanding that the statements cannot be used directly against them in certain circumstances. The existence of such an agreement does not by itself establish guilt, but it signals cooperation with an ongoing investigation.
The report adds another layer to the scrutiny facing MORENA, Mexico’s ruling party, over allegations that some of its elected officials have ties to organized crime. The revocation of visas by the State Department marked an unusual public step by Washington against sitting Mexican politicians, and the proffer agreement now ties at least one of them directly to a federal probe.
Ramirez’s gubernatorial campaign in Baja California, a key border state, gives the controversy immediate electoral stakes. She has not publicly responded to the specifics of the NMas+ report in the account provided by Breitbart.
The confrontation also highlights the perilous environment for journalists in Mexico. The country remains one of the most dangerous in the world for reporters, with threats from both criminal organizations and public officials a recurring feature of press freedom advocacy. Acevedo’s decision to address the threat on air reflects a common dilemma for Mexican journalists: publicizing intimidation can deter further attacks, but it can also raise the risk of reprisal.
Salazar’s apology did not resolve the underlying dispute over the reporting. The senator’s deleted tweet and subsequent messages have not addressed the substance of the allegations against Ramirez, and it remains unclear whether the DOJ investigation will produce charges or further revelations.
The episode also underscores the increasingly transnational nature of Mexico’s corruption scandals. U.S. prosecutors and the State Department have taken a more assertive posture in recent years, using visa revocations and sealed court documents to pressure Mexican officials suspected of colluding with cartels. The proffer agreement shown by NMas+ suggests that at least one sitting senator has chosen to cooperate rather than fight the investigation.
For now, the focus is on the fallout inside MORENA. The party has not issued a public statement on Salazar’s threat or on the allegations against Ramirez. Whether the controversy will damage Ramirez’s gubernatorial bid — or prompt broader questions about the party’s vetting of candidates — remains to be seen.
Breitbart News’ coverage of the story was reported by Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby, co-founders of the outlet’s Cartel Chronicles project.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/border/2026/09/11/mexican-senator-threatens-journalist-who-exposed-cartel-connected-colleague/