Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government will file a defamation suit against Jeffrey Lichtman, the U.S.–based lawyer representing convicted cartel figure Ovidio Guzmán López. Sheinbaum called Lichtman’s remarks—accusing her administration of acting as a public-relations arm for narcotics groups—“totally disrespectful” to the presidential office. The action will be lodged through the government’s legal counsel, and the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) plans to release its own statement on the matter. The dispute follows Guzmán López’s guilty plea last week in a Chicago federal court. Lichtman claimed Mexico was excluded from the plea negotiations and suggested official complicity with traffickers. Sheinbaum rejected that narrative, stressing that extraditions are handled by the FGR under existing treaties and that her administration maintains no ties with criminal organizations. The president’s pushback comes as she seeks to head off new economic pressure from Washington. Over the weekend U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a 30 percent tariff on all Mexican imports starting 1 August, arguing that Mexico’s anti-fentanyl efforts are inadequate. Sheinbaum said a high-level bilateral working group is already meeting and expressed confidence a deal can be reached, while urging the United States to curb weapons smuggling and arrest traffickers on its own soil.