() is a 2026 non-fiction book written by the writer and lawyer in collaboration with the journalist Jorge Fernández Menéndez, who also wrote the prologue.
In the book, Scherer relates his almost thirty-year relationship with Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), who was an opposition leader for decades and later served as President of Mexico from 2018 to 2024. During his administration, Scherer became one of the most powerful persons in the country, as he served as Legal Counsel to the President from the beginning of AMLO's term until September 2021, when he resigned amid allegations of extortion and of creating an influence-peddling network. Following his resignation, according to Scherer, the Attorney General of Mexico initiated legal proceedings and media campaigns against him. In 2024, Scherer sent two letters, one to AMLO and another to his successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, stating that he would seek to clear his name.
The book recounts internal developments during the first half of AMLO's six-year term, including strategic decisions, internal conflicts, and key aspects of national politics. Among the topics addressed are the creation of the National Guard, AMLO's relationship with the Supreme Court and its then president Arturo Zaldívar, the political management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the attempted assassination attack against Omar García Harfuch, and the case of General Salvador Cienfuegos. The book also mentions and criticizes multiple politicians, arguing that they lacked the necessary expertise or relevant experience for their positions and were appointed primarily on the basis of loyalty. It also focuses on , a journalist and political communications strategist who has worked with the federal government since 2018, alleging that he supported a clientelist scheme for the through pensions, assisted candidates during their 2024 electoral campaigns, and held meetings with Sergio Carmona, who was reportedly linked to fuel theft and organized crime.
was published on 11 February 2026 in Mexico by Planeta, and received polarized reactions from politicians, with Ramírez describing it as a libelous work. Journalists have described the book as an attempt by Scherer to present his version of events. Some interpret it as an effort to demonstrate continued loyalty to AMLO, while others consider that it depicts him as politically manipulable.
Background
, son of Julio Scherer García, served as editor of the daily newspaper Excélsior between 1968 and 1976. He met Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) in 1997 following the death of Heberto Castillo, a politician who co-founded multiple political parties, including the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), of which AMLO was also a co-founder. Journalist Jorge Fernández Menéndez, who describes Scherer Ibarra as his friend, says that the book recounts Scherer's experiences with AMLO. Fernández writes that, although they may share or differ in their views regarding AMLO, both are aware of the impact that authoritarianism had on their respective family environments. Scherer García was expelled from the editorial leadership of Excélsior following pressure from the administration of Luis Echeverría. After his departure, he founded the news magazine Proceso. Fernández adds that, besides writing the prologue of , he contributed opinions with his perspective from a different vantage point than Scherer's.
Contents AMLO as opposition leader In , Scherer recounts his history with AMLO. After their meeting in 1997, Scherer portrays him as an admirer of the Cuban Revolution and a reader of the Bible who frequently cites biblical passages and applies them to political life. For example, after founding the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) as a civil association in 2011, one of the organization's slogans was "do not lie, do not steal, and do not betray the Mexican people".
Their relationship deepened after AMLO became head of government of Mexico City in 2000. Scherer characterizes him as a distrustful politician who avoided discussing sensitive matters within an office setting. After AMLO was affected by the "videoscandals"—in which businessman Carlos Ahumada was recorded giving illicit payments to associates of AMLO, including René Bejarano—Marcelo Ebrard assisted in mitigating the resulting media fallout. AMLO was later subjected to impeachment proceedings; however, he believed that imprisonment could strengthen his political position and increase his chances of eventually reaching the presidency.
Politicians in power branded AMLO with the epithet "a danger for Mexico". His campaign team did not regard the label as detrimental to his prospects in the 2006 general election, as they considered his political base in central and southern Mexico to be strong. However, they underestimated his limited appeal in other regions of the country, including northern Mexico, where he lacked comparable levels of support. Scherer says that opinion polling did not show a definitive winner, with a technical tie between AMLO and Felipe Calderón. After losing the election, AMLO organized a peaceful protest along Paseo de la Reforma for 47 days under claims of electoral fraud. It became an demeanor that led segments of the middle and upper classes to withdraw their support for him, which Scherer states that, coupled with other actions, it contributed to reinforcing his label of "dangerous" as AMLO was perceived by voters as confrontational and driven by visceral reactions.
Aware that he lacked support from certain segments of the electorate, AMLO shifted his rhetoric in the 2012 general election toward a message centered on "peace and love". After losing again, he distanced himself from the PRD and from Dante Delgado, with whom he had previously formed an alliance through the Coalition for the Good of All and Progressive Movement political associations. AMLO subsequently founded Morena as a political party, and broke with politicians who did not support his new political project, including Miguel Ángel Mancera, the head of government of Mexico City at the time. During the 2017 state elections, AMLO tested Morena's electoral strength by nominating Delfina Gómez as the party's candidate for governor of the State of Mexico. Although she lost to Alfredo del Mazo Maza, the results indicated growing support for Morena in the state.
Presidency of AMLO
After winning the 2018 general election, AMLO appointed Scherer as legal counsel. The position, which oversees the legal affairs of the federal government and advises the president on constitutional and legislative matters, placed him among the most influential officials in the administration.
Scherer writes that AMLO began exercising power before formally taking office, as President Enrique Peña Nieto, in his account, "erased himself" during the final stage of his administration. He states that, prior to being sworn in, AMLO had already decided to cancel the New Mexico City International Airport and to maintain military personnel in public security tasks, despite earlier statements that they would be withdrawn from the streets. Scherer frames the later decision as evidence that AMLO was more flexible in practice than he publicly appeared.
During the first three years of his presidency, AMLO oversees the establishment of the National Guard, his interactions with the Supreme Court and its president at the time, Arturo Zaldívar, the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the attempted assassination attack against Omar García Harfuch, and the case of General Salvador Cienfuegos.
In 2021, journalist investigations claimed that Scherer created and operated an extortion and influence-peddling network since 2019. According to these reports, he contacted law firms with which he had been associated and approached businesspeople involved in ongoing litigation, offering to assist them with their cases. In exchange, they were required to pay substantial sums—reportedly at least US$1 million. Those who agreed were allegedly promised that their litigation would be resolved, while those who refused were said to face the opening of additional investigations. In either case, the businesspeople continued to be subject to official inquiries. The Office of the Attorney General, then headed by Alejandro Gertz Manero, subsequently opened an investigation into Scherer, and Olga Sánchez Cordero, then Secretary of the Interior, notified AMLO.
Scherer quit on 2 September 2021. In the book, he recounts that, at one point, AMLO had told him: "When I leave office, they will come after you. Don't doubt it. Power does not forgive. They will pursue you, fabricate things about you, and try to destroy you. Prepare yourself, because they will distort what they know and use whatever they invent. And they will do so with malice".
Criticism of AMLO's cabinet
In , Scherer centers his account on AMLO's cabinet. He refers to a rule of thumb the president articulated, paraphrased as "90 percent loyalty and 10 percent capacity", in relation to several appointments to agencies for which the appointees lacked expertise or relevant experience. Among the examples he mentions are Alfonso Durazo as Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection and Ana Gabriela Guevara as head of National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport. Regarding Hugo López-Gatell, Deputy Secretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, Scherer states that he chose to disregard scientific criteria in order to avoid contradicting AMLO, which, in his account, resulted in thousands of preventable deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also writes that López-Gatell caused delays in regulatory approvals within the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk.
Scherer also writes that Sánchez Cordero was selected, in his assessment, to satisfy a gender quota; that Germán Martínez was named director general of the Mexican Social Security Institute after not being picked as attorney general; and that the choosing of Manuel Bartlett as director of the Federal Electricity Commission was a mistake. Scherer assigns responsibility to him for deficiencies in the electricity sector and for the decline in foreign investment, which he attributes to Bartlett's personal views on the industry and his approach to energy policy.
Alejandro Gertz Manero Regarding Gertz Manero, Scherer characterizes the Office of the Attorney General as "sinister", and alleges that AMLO selected him for the position one day before being sworn in as president, after the suggestion of Scherer and Durazo. He also writes that María Elena Álvarez-Buylla Roces, director of the National Council of Sciences and Technologies, sought to have researchers within the institution prosecuted after they refused to grant Gertz Manero Level III status in the National System of Researchers.
Scherer alleges that Gertz Manero used his position for personal benefit. He further claims that, after a relative of Scherer became involved in a legal matter, Gertz Manero sought to block a writ of amparo and leaked documents to the media in an effort to damage his reputation.
Adán Augusto López Scherer mentions that AMLO requested Adán Augusto López Hernández, Sánchez Cordero's successor as Secretary of the Interior, to mediate the conflict between Scherer and Gertz. After their meeting, Scherer states that he did not regard López Hernández as acting in the capacity of a genuine interior secretary, as he believed there was no intention to resolve the conflict. He recounts saying: "I never imagined a secretary that, in order to resolve an issue requested by his boss, ended speaking in good faith".