Marina del Pilar denies betrayal, cites trap by ex‑governor Bonilla in FBI audio controversy

Governor of Baja California Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda faced a wave of controversy after leaked audio recordings captured her saying she was willing to share information from the state's security tables with U.S. agents. She asserted that the recordings were edited and taken out of context, stating, “Jamás he traicionado ni traicionaría a la patria; nunca he entregado información que comprometa la seguridad nacional.”

Marina del Pilar blamed former governor Jaime Bonilla for arranging the meeting with people who posed as U.S. intermediaries, calling it a political trap. She said the participants never presented official documents or identification and that the encounter was intended to record a private conversation for political damage.

Federal officials, including President Claudia Sheinbaum and Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch, said the audio does not show the disclosure of confidential or sensitive information and that no crime appears to have been committed. Sheinbaum remarked, “No se escucha nada que comprometa la seguridad nacional.”

The governor announced she will pursue legal action against Bonilla and emphasized that coordination with U.S. authorities on border security is conducted through official channels, not through the private conversation shown in the fragments.