The front-runner in Mexico's July 1 presidential elections has angrily rejected comments by U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner that his party was soft on drug trafficking.

Candidate Enrique Pena Nieto says Sensenbrenner is ill-informed about whether he will continue to vigorously fight drug cartels if elected.

Sensenbrenner said at a House of Representatives subcommittee hearing Wednesday that Pena Nieto's party "minimized violence by turning a blind eye to the cartels" in the past. Sensenbrenner said Pena Nieto's proposal to reduce violence "sounds like a reversion" to the policies of old.

Pena Nieto's campaign countered in a statement that the candidate has an "unwavering" commitment to combat organized crime.

The statement said reducing violence "is the only way to assure the support of society in the fight against organized crime."