EL TIPO DE CAMBIO DE HOY ES DE: On a simple street in Cuauhtémoc, one of Mexico City's most dangerous neighborhoods, stands a flat tire repair shop: what in Guatemala might be called a "pinchazo.” The façade displays signs for both new and used tires, along with rim repair services. But behind this unassuming facade lies something quite different: a website that defames Guatemalans and U.S. government officials, including President Donald Trump. The entire scheme, as our investigation and official documents demonstrate, is orchestrated by the Guatemalan ambassador to Mexico, Edgar Gutiérrez Girón.
The Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Foundation for Mesoamerica, A.C. (DESC, for its Spanish acronym) maintains its registered headquarters at 408 Doctor José María Vértiz Street, Doctores neighborhood. Additionally, as of October 21, 2024, this location serves as the official address for the digital publication ePinvestiga.
The Foundation
The origin of this foundation extends back over two decades in Guatemala. DESC was established on September 20, 2003, by Gutiérrez Girón and his wife, María Elena Aiza Meade, during negotiations that ultimately led to the creation of CICIG.
Gutiérrez Girón was appointed president of the Board of Directors and legal representative of DESC in Guatemala on December 11, 2006, and remained in that position until August 31, 2022, when he stepped down temporarily before resuming the position on April 7, 2024. Since its creation, the foundation has had 10 different appointments of president of the Board of Directors. Gutiérrez Girón was appointed in nine of them; the tenth and last change, on April 26, 2024, was to appoint the ambassador's wife as his successor.
The foundation was officially registered in Mexico on October 11, 2023, coinciding with the period of significant street and highway blockades in Guatemala following Bernardo Arévalo's electoral victory. Months later, Gutiérrez would be appointed ambassador to the same country where he had just registered the organization.
The foundation has received donations from international organizations that typically fund left-wing foundations and media outlets. Among them are the Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Other recipients of these foundations' multimillion-dollar donations include media outlets such as Plaza Pública, No Ficción, Prensa Comunitaria, and, formerly, Nómada.
For years, he held the presidency and legal representation of the foundation, both in Guatemala and Mexico. He received donations from large philanthropic organizations that commonly support left-wing media and entities in Latin America: the Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, and the Rockefeller Foundation, among others. When República confronted him, Gutiérrez claimed to be completely unconnected to both DESC and ePinvestiga, although he admitted to having “promoted” it in its early stages.
Yet, the documents reveal something different. On the day Gutiérrez resigned as president of the organization in Guatemala, his wife immediately stepped into the role. A similar situation unfolded in Mexico: in May 2024, Cecilia Eugenia Meade Mendizábal—likely related to Gutiérrez's wife—became president, while both Gutiérrez and his wife remained on the three-member board of directors. Thus, he never completely severed his ties.
ePinvestiga, in turn, was registered in the name of the foundation with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property, using the same address as the pinchazo. This is the same pattern seen in other cases uncovered by República: unassuming facades concealing much larger operations.
The publication is a direct descendant of the defunct elPeriódico, whose founder, José Rubén Zamora, was arrested for money laundering and other crimes. The most despicable practices of that outlet—such as the “elPeladero” section—found a new home in ePinvestiga’s “elPelex.” From the 2024 election campaign to the present, República has compiled at least 43 articles and pieces with a mocking, hostile, and even vulgar tone against President Trump, whom they often refer to as “el Canchón” (the big blonde). They accuse him of having ties to Putin, of promoting racism, of being a “MAGA crook,” of sexual assault, and of fraud. They have also attacked other Republicans, such as Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, and have fabricated false narratives about U.S. diplomats.
Ambassador or activist paid with our taxes?
Meanwhile, Gutiérrez has maintained a busy schedule of meetings at luxury hotels in Mexico City, such as the St. Regis. Between December 2024 and January 2026, frequent meetings were documented with executives from the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations: precisely the same organizations that have historically funded DESC and ideologically aligned media outlets in the region. None of these entities work with diplomatic corps, but they do allocate millions to leftist organizations and publications in Latin America. República was able to confirm this through the ambassador's agenda, provided by the Embassy after our request.
This parallel activism jeopardizes Guatemala's interests with its main trading partner and strategic ally: the United States. While the U.S. government supports its Guatemalan counterpart with megaprojects, such as the expansion of Puerto Quetzal and cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, an official from the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry coordinates—from his official position—a media outlet that systematically attacks the president of that country.
ePinvestiga
The website's use of these funds is the most concerning. The ePinvestiga website, much like elPeriódico before it, is known for publishing content against President Trump’s current administration. From the 2024 election campaign to the date of publication of this investigation, República has documented up to 43 articles published, both on its website and in the elPelex section, with an adverse, mocking, and even vulgar tone toward President Trump.
In an elPelex publication from February 8, 2026, the U.S. is accused of being a power that has descended into the Guatemalan criminal underworld, blaming former chargé d'affaires John Barrett, whom they accuse of explicitly warning against severing ties with the “white powder barons.” The same publication accuses Trump of having a symbiotic relationship with Vladimir Putin. In another instance, they dedicated their editorial efforts to falsely claiming that Barrett was removed from his post in Guatemala for obeying private interests instead of those of the U.S., when his departure from the country was a step forward in his career to lead the transition efforts in post-Maduro Venezuela.
The platform has also been used to mock other members of the Republican Party, such as Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, whom they accuse of operating in the U.S. on behalf of Guatemalan lobbyists because of her criticism of the former funding system for conflictive NGOs in Latin America. On occasion, they have even used their website to denounce Trump and claim that his decisions regarding the diplomatic corps have harmed U.S. interests.
On other occasions, in the space provided by ePinvestiga, the US president has been called a "MAGA crook", accused of fomenting racist fears and being a "master of fake news", and framed as a criminal guilty of sexual assault and fraud.
ElPeladero became a tool for extortion and blackmail, a fact that is widely acknowledged. Now, Gutiérrez's media outlet, ElPelex, is following the same path. Will the ambassador follow Zamora's footsteps?
Find here the articles compiled by ePinvestiga about the U.S.:
Unpunished Misconduct
The Guatemalan Diplomatic Service Law is clear. Article 34 requires heads of mission to “ensure that under no circumstances the honor and interests of Guatemala suffer detriment” and to “maintain indispensable decorum, both in their official duties and in their private lives.” Gutiérrez, according to the evidence, has failed on both counts.
All of this has unfolded under the watch of President Bernardo Arévalo and Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martínez, both of whom have benefited from ePinvestiga’s favorable editorial line. But the cost is high: Guatemala’s international image is weakened, and relations with Washington are unnecessarily strained.
As República confirmed, the ambassador never truly severed ties with the foundation he created more than two decades ago. He remains part of the network operating out of a modest “pinchazo” in Mexico City: a tire shop turned into a coordination hub for smear campaigns against those the Guatemalan left considers adversaries. A scandal that, far from strengthening the Arévalo administration, threatens to damage the diplomatic relationships it has worked so hard to build.
*The Foreign Ministry was repeatedly asked to comment on the findings of our investigation; they simply chose not to respond. They hid.
You do not have to believe the truth simply because we present evidence of it, but if you wish to verify it for yourself, below you will find all the documentation supporting this investigation.
On a simple street in Cuauhtémoc, one of Mexico City's most dangerous neighborhoods, stands a flat tire repair shop: what in Guatemala might be called a "pinchazo.” The façade displays signs for both new and used tires, along with rim repair services. But behind this unassuming facade lies something quite different: a website that defames Guatemalans and U.S. government officials, including President Donald Trump. The entire scheme, as our investigation and official documents demonstrate, is orchestrated by the Guatemalan ambassador to Mexico, Edgar Gutiérrez Girón.
The Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Foundation for Mesoamerica, A.C. (DESC, for its Spanish acronym) maintains its registered headquarters at 408 Doctor José María Vértiz Street, Doctores neighborhood. Additionally, as of October 21, 2024, this location serves as the official address for the digital publication ePinvestiga.
The Foundation
The origin of this foundation extends back over two decades in Guatemala. DESC was established on September 20, 2003, by Gutiérrez Girón and his wife, María Elena Aiza Meade, during negotiations that ultimately led to the creation of CICIG.
Gutiérrez Girón was appointed president of the Board of Directors and legal representative of DESC in Guatemala on December 11, 2006, and remained in that position until August 31, 2022, when he stepped down temporarily before resuming the position on April 7, 2024. Since its creation, the foundation has had 10 different appointments of president of the Board of Directors. Gutiérrez Girón was appointed in nine of them; the tenth and last change, on April 26, 2024, was to appoint the ambassador's wife as his successor.
The foundation was officially registered in Mexico on October 11, 2023, coinciding with the period of significant street and highway blockades in Guatemala following Bernardo Arévalo's electoral victory. Months later, Gutiérrez would be appointed ambassador to the same country where he had just registered the organization.
The foundation has received donations from international organizations that typically fund left-wing foundations and media outlets. Among them are the Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Other recipients of these foundations' multimillion-dollar donations include media outlets such as Plaza Pública, No Ficción, Prensa Comunitaria, and, formerly, Nómada.
For years, he held the presidency and legal representation of the foundation, both in Guatemala and Mexico. He received donations from large philanthropic organizations that commonly support left-wing media and entities in Latin America: the Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, and the Rockefeller Foundation, among others. When República confronted him, Gutiérrez claimed to be completely unconnected to both DESC and ePinvestiga, although he admitted to having “promoted” it in its early stages.
Yet, the documents reveal something different. On the day Gutiérrez resigned as president of the organization in Guatemala, his wife immediately stepped into the role. A similar situation unfolded in Mexico: in May 2024, Cecilia Eugenia Meade Mendizábal—likely related to Gutiérrez's wife—became president, while both Gutiérrez and his wife remained on the three-member board of directors. Thus, he never completely severed his ties.
ePinvestiga, in turn, was registered in the name of the foundation with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property, using the same address as the pinchazo. This is the same pattern seen in other cases uncovered by República: unassuming facades concealing much larger operations.
The publication is a direct descendant of the defunct elPeriódico, whose founder, José Rubén Zamora, was arrested for money laundering and other crimes. The most despicable practices of that outlet—such as the “elPeladero” section—found a new home in ePinvestiga’s “elPelex.” From the 2024 election campaign to the present, República has compiled at least 43 articles and pieces with a mocking, hostile, and even vulgar tone against President Trump, whom they often refer to as “el Canchón” (the big blonde). They accuse him of having ties to Putin, of promoting racism, of being a “MAGA crook,” of sexual assault, and of fraud. They have also attacked other Republicans, such as Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, and have fabricated false narratives about U.S. diplomats.
Ambassador or activist paid with our taxes?
Meanwhile, Gutiérrez has maintained a busy schedule of meetings at luxury hotels in Mexico City, such as the St. Regis. Between December 2024 and January 2026, frequent meetings were documented with executives from the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations: precisely the same organizations that have historically funded DESC and ideologically aligned media outlets in the region. None of these entities work with diplomatic corps, but they do allocate millions to leftist organizations and publications in Latin America. República was able to confirm this through the ambassador's agenda, provided by the Embassy after our request.
This parallel activism jeopardizes Guatemala's interests with its main trading partner and strategic ally: the United States. While the U.S. government supports its Guatemalan counterpart with megaprojects, such as the expansion of Puerto Quetzal and cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, an official from the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry coordinates—from his official position—a media outlet that systematically attacks the president of that country.
ePinvestiga
The website's use of these funds is the most concerning. The ePinvestiga website, much like elPeriódico before it, is known for publishing content against President Trump’s current administration. From the 2024 election campaign to the date of publication of this investigation, República has documented up to 43 articles published, both on its website and in the elPelex section, with an adverse, mocking, and even vulgar tone toward President Trump.
In an elPelex publication from February 8, 2026, the U.S. is accused of being a power that has descended into the Guatemalan criminal underworld, blaming former chargé d'affaires John Barrett, whom they accuse of explicitly warning against severing ties with the “white powder barons.” The same publication accuses Trump of having a symbiotic relationship with Vladimir Putin. In another instance, they dedicated their editorial efforts to falsely claiming that Barrett was removed from his post in Guatemala for obeying private interests instead of those of the U.S., when his departure from the country was a step forward in his career to lead the transition efforts in post-Maduro Venezuela.
The platform has also been used to mock other members of the Republican Party, such as Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, whom they accuse of operating in the U.S. on behalf of Guatemalan lobbyists because of her criticism of the former funding system for conflictive NGOs in Latin America. On occasion, they have even used their website to denounce Trump and claim that his decisions regarding the diplomatic corps have harmed U.S. interests.
On other occasions, in the space provided by ePinvestiga, the US president has been called a "MAGA crook", accused of fomenting racist fears and being a "master of fake news", and framed as a criminal guilty of sexual assault and fraud.
ElPeladero became a tool for extortion and blackmail, a fact that is widely acknowledged. Now, Gutiérrez's media outlet, ElPelex, is following the same path. Will the ambassador follow Zamora's footsteps?
Find here the articles compiled by ePinvestiga about the U.S.:
Unpunished Misconduct
The Guatemalan Diplomatic Service Law is clear. Article 34 requires heads of mission to “ensure that under no circumstances the honor and interests of Guatemala suffer detriment” and to “maintain indispensable decorum, both in their official duties and in their private lives.” Gutiérrez, according to the evidence, has failed on both counts.
All of this has unfolded under the watch of President Bernardo Arévalo and Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martínez, both of whom have benefited from ePinvestiga’s favorable editorial line. But the cost is high: Guatemala’s international image is weakened, and relations with Washington are unnecessarily strained.
As República confirmed, the ambassador never truly severed ties with the foundation he created more than two decades ago. He remains part of the network operating out of a modest “pinchazo” in Mexico City: a tire shop turned into a coordination hub for smear campaigns against those the Guatemalan left considers adversaries. A scandal that, far from strengthening the Arévalo administration, threatens to damage the diplomatic relationships it has worked so hard to build.
*The Foreign Ministry was repeatedly asked to comment on the findings of our investigation; they simply chose not to respond. They hid.
You do not have to believe the truth simply because we present evidence of it, but if you wish to verify it for yourself, below you will find all the documentation supporting this investigation.
