Post by Mockingbird on Aug 10, 2021 13:30:11 GMT
Francisco de la Fuente (Left) meeting Lex Luthor (Right) in 2018
Presidential candidate Lex Luthor is facing questions over his relationship with the President of the South American country Santa Bertriza, Francisco de la Fuente. It began when just before the debates last week, images resurfaced of a meeting Luthor had with the leader in February of 2018. De la Fuente has been condemned by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for his suppression of the press and the country's Metahuman population, especially through his secret police force. With Luthor's ardent opposition to vigilantism and open support for measures to regulate Metahuman activity, concerns have been raised as to how extreme his views may really be.
The candidate has also received criticism from a number of Libertarian figures, many of whom are members of Friends of Del Canto - the country which Santa Bertriza still remains in a cold war with. Former Presidential candidate Ron Paul has said that Luthor's relationship with Francisco de la Fuente and Santa Bertriza, "Makes it adamantly clear that [he] does not stand for personal liberty, in America or abroad." LexCorp's press office has stated that the meeting was held to negotiate permission to operate farms in the country, primarily to grow fruit for the 'Tropical Winter' special at Big Belly Burger.
Despite this, further investigation has found that in exchange for farming grants, LexCorp agreed to supply the Bertrizian military with Gladiator suits, armored vehicles and other heavy weaponry. Critics of Luthor have noted that many of de la Fuente's goals seem to align with his, so it's not unlikely that their partnership extends beyond military contracts. Through searching LexCorp's financial records, investigative reporter Lois Lane found that in the following year, LexCorp's controversial Meta Research Wing in Metropolis General Hosptial received $7,500,000,000 in donations from Francisco de La Fuente. Though LexCorp's press office remains adamant that Luthor's relationship with de la Fuente is only one of business, former employees of LexCorp have come forward to allege that Luthor maintained a personal friendship with the President - noting occasions where the CEO has received birthday gifts from the leader.
When asked on the issue during last week's debates, the candidate had this to say, "To act as if there is something particularly extraordinary about my deals in Santa Bertrizia is simply absurd. The press are merely doing their usual job of pulling at straws to write the dirtiest smear campaigns against real change." When pushed on the leader's human rights abuses, Luthor responded, "De la Fuente is a leader, which is more than I can say about this country's current administration. What you should then be asking, in all fairness, is why is the current administration so happy selling weapons to Saudi Arabia - a country which holds a capital punishment for same-sex relations? Why did Mr Ridgeway find it so pertinent to express his support for the ruthless military dictatorship of Santa Prisca in an attempt to pander to companies such as Zesti? The system is broken, and you can either vote to change it or continue to lie about those willing to." Regardless, the event is considered a significant blow to his campaign, with Luthor's approval ratings this week dropping below 40%. Whether or not he can win back those he's lost is difficult to say.
The candidate has also received criticism from a number of Libertarian figures, many of whom are members of Friends of Del Canto - the country which Santa Bertriza still remains in a cold war with. Former Presidential candidate Ron Paul has said that Luthor's relationship with Francisco de la Fuente and Santa Bertriza, "Makes it adamantly clear that [he] does not stand for personal liberty, in America or abroad." LexCorp's press office has stated that the meeting was held to negotiate permission to operate farms in the country, primarily to grow fruit for the 'Tropical Winter' special at Big Belly Burger.
Despite this, further investigation has found that in exchange for farming grants, LexCorp agreed to supply the Bertrizian military with Gladiator suits, armored vehicles and other heavy weaponry. Critics of Luthor have noted that many of de la Fuente's goals seem to align with his, so it's not unlikely that their partnership extends beyond military contracts. Through searching LexCorp's financial records, investigative reporter Lois Lane found that in the following year, LexCorp's controversial Meta Research Wing in Metropolis General Hosptial received $7,500,000,000 in donations from Francisco de La Fuente. Though LexCorp's press office remains adamant that Luthor's relationship with de la Fuente is only one of business, former employees of LexCorp have come forward to allege that Luthor maintained a personal friendship with the President - noting occasions where the CEO has received birthday gifts from the leader.
When asked on the issue during last week's debates, the candidate had this to say, "To act as if there is something particularly extraordinary about my deals in Santa Bertrizia is simply absurd. The press are merely doing their usual job of pulling at straws to write the dirtiest smear campaigns against real change." When pushed on the leader's human rights abuses, Luthor responded, "De la Fuente is a leader, which is more than I can say about this country's current administration. What you should then be asking, in all fairness, is why is the current administration so happy selling weapons to Saudi Arabia - a country which holds a capital punishment for same-sex relations? Why did Mr Ridgeway find it so pertinent to express his support for the ruthless military dictatorship of Santa Prisca in an attempt to pander to companies such as Zesti? The system is broken, and you can either vote to change it or continue to lie about those willing to." Regardless, the event is considered a significant blow to his campaign, with Luthor's approval ratings this week dropping below 40%. Whether or not he can win back those he's lost is difficult to say.
Written by Ron Troupe
