Thursday, June 12, 2008

More Cisen Shenanigans

The whole of the Mexican political class, minus the PAN, is united in their disapproval of the director of Mexico's intelligence agency, Cisen. The agency headed by Guillermo Valdés, you may remember, was caught monitoring opposition pols' activities in a congressional research database. (Feel free to ask why, but don't expect an answer from me.) Understandably, the opposition pols were a bit miffed, and now want Valdés to look for work elsewhere. The PAN, which is the largest congressional force, blocked a vote on his removal yesterday, and interior secretary Juan Camilo Mouriño says that Valdés isn't going anywhere.

I remain astonished that there isn't more of a public outcry over this. Absent a groundswell of public anger forcing the panistas to back off their position, it looks like no one is going to be punished for essentially spying on congressman. It's not illegal, but it's entirely unethical, and given the many threats to Mexico's security, it's far from the best use of the agency's resources.

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