Former ‘Shark Tank Mexico’ contestant Patricia Armendáriz insults indigenous people

Businesswoman Patricia Armendáriz was harshly criticized.

The former Shark Tank Mexico contestant insulted indigenous people.

What did she say?

The federal deputy for Morena, and former contestant on Shark Tank Mexico, Patricia Armendáriz, is embroiled in a new controversy after the release of an audio where she can be heard arguing with an indigenous leader and hurling insults over a project for the Lacandon Jungle.

The audio began circulating on social media on Friday, April 21. In the recording, Armendáriz sounds annoyed by the requests made by a person identified as Chankin or «El Colocho». She was harshly criticized online

Patricia Armendáriz is in serious trouble

In the audio you can hear her say: “Go on, go on, you’re not going to suck from the government anymore. They won’t give you anything. Either you present me with development programs for you or you go to hell, I want to make it clear to you.”

In the same audio, the deputy claims that it’s the third meeting she has had with that group from Chiapas without them presenting her with a proposal. «I don’t want to know anything about you anymore. For the next meeting, either bring me community proposals or don’t count on me, don’t even come anymore, please, it’s the third meeting, it’s the third meeting I have with you.»

She continued interrupting

At one point, the indigenous leader manages to intervene to ask her not to insult him and to remind her that one of her promises was to bring him to Mexico City to meet with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Later, Armendáriz interrupts again.

«Shut up. Listen to me,» the legislator yells at him. Later she claimed that she has hired a lawyer who she pays 15,000 pesos a month to «solve the problem.» After going viral, the businesswoman was harshly criticized on social media.

Patricia Armendáriz responds to critics

Patricia Armendáriz herself confirmed the that the audio was authentic, although she said that the recording is from a year ago and that at the time she apologized to the indigenous leader. She said this after PAN senator, Lilly Téllez, called her out on it.

“I go to my most marginalized communities, I bring them programs and that’s why the discussion emerged. You?» Was Armendáriz’s response. «What a shame of a deputy, is that how everyone from her party is?» netizens commented. “Here you have a perverse woman disguised as a compromised deputy.”

Patricia Armendáriz tried to justify her remarks

Patricia Armendáriz gave her version of the events in a video posted on Saturday, April 22, in which she once again accused a community in Chiapas of «continuing to ask for more» money and not delivering projects.

“I have been managing resources for the most marginalized communities in Chiapas, and one thing that I’m doing is protecting the Lacandona Jungle with ecotourism centers so that (community members) learn that they can receive much more money to take care of their jungle,” said the businesswoman.