Thread by @keegan_hamilton

Just published @VICENews:

The U.S. decided to drop narco-corruption charges against Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda after AMLO threatened to kick the DEA out of Mexico.

vice.com/en/article/xgz… w/ @emilytgreen @VICENews

Here's what one U.S. law enforcement official had to say about the charges against Cienfuegos getting dropped:

“I hope the DOJ gets it together. We can’t do business like this. We’re embarrassed. We’re ashamed.”

vice.com/en/article/xgz…

“I expect there to be a fall guy somewhere in the chain that was involved with this. It will be somebody who had no influence and no involvement. It will be someone who makes all the higher-ups feel better.”

vice.com/en/article/xgz… @VICENews

“The government of Mexico learned a lot here in their dealings with us. They learned some buttons to push. Strategically, this was a loss.”

vice.com/en/article/xgz… @VICENews

“Regardless of whether the DEA guys are kicked out or not, the Americans depend enormously on the Mexican army. No matter how much the American guys distrust them, they know they are the only guys around.”

vice.com/en/article/xgz… @VICENews

NYT confirms: "If the United States did not rethink its pursuit of Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, Mexico would consider expelling American federal drug agents from the country"

nytimes.com/2020/11/18/wor… via @alanfeuer @Nataliekitro

Report by @emeequis says a group of influential Mexican generals known as "The Syndicate" pressured AMLO to intervene w/ the US on behalf of Cienfuegos

m-x.com.mx/secretos/la-co…

"It raises serious questions as to how the United States went from carrying out a secretive multi-year probe behind the backs of Mexican authorities to now trusting them enough to conduct their own investigation."

vice.com/en/article/xgz… via @PJAsmann