Penn: The Mexican Gov’t Wanted Me in Their Crosshairs

PENN: “There is this myth about the visit that we made, my colleagues and I with El Chapo, that it led -- that it was as the Attorney General of Mexico has quoted essential to his capture. We had met with him many weeks earlier.” 
ROSE: “On October 2nd.”
PENN: “On October 2nd. In a place nowhere near where he was captured.”
ROSE: “So as far as you know you had nothing to do and your visit had nothing do with his recapture?”
PENN: “The things — here are the things that we know. We know that the Mexican government, they were clearly very humiliated by the notion that someone found him before they did. Well nobody found him before they did. We didn’t — we’re not smarter than the DEA or the Mexican intelligence. We had a contact upon which we were able to facilitate an invitation.”
ROSE: “Do you believe that the Mexican government released this in part because they wanted to see you blamed and to put you at risk?”
PENN: “Yes.”
ROSS: “They wanted to encourage the cartel to put you in their crosshairs?”
PENN: “Yes.”
ROSE: “Are you fearful for your life?”
PENN: “No.”