Puerto Rico

Corruption. Arrests. Resignations. Possible impeachment proceedings. Vulgar and insulting text messages. It's quite a shocking political scandal.

Massive protests held in Puerto Rico after governor refuses to step down

Quote:

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Puerto Rico to demand the resignation of the island's embattled governor, Ricardo Rosselló. It comes a day after Mr Rosselló said he would not step down over a leaked online chat in which he and top aides exchanged obscenity-laced messages. The texts included homophobic slurs as well as insults about victims of the deadly Hurricane Maria in 2017. Monday's protest is expected to be the largest in the US territory's history.

'He must resign': Thousands shut down Puerto Rico streets demanding Gov. Ricardo Rosselló step down

Quote:

The controversy began less than two weeks ago with the arrest of Rosselló associates on corruption charges. The next day, the texts began emerging, and a few days later Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism published 889 pages. Rosselló's targets included former New York City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. Rosselló, upset that Mark-Viverito had challenged Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez's support for statehood for Puerto Rico, called her a "whore." And when a colleague texted that he was "salivating to shoot" the mayor, Rosselló responded that he would consider it a favor. Rosselló and his associates made light of the suffering Maria imposed on island residents and used vulgar language regarding a federal board overseeing the island’s finances. Even island musical star Ricky Martin was not spared: A Rosselló associate used tasteless language to describe Martin's homosexuality. . . . "They mocked our dead, they mocked women, they mocked the LGBT community," Martin said in a Twitter video. "They made fun of people with physical and mental disabilities, they made fun of obesity. It's enough. This cannot be." Rosselló also has drawn ire on the mainland; “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was among protesters gathered last week in New York. Also, Puerto Rico’s nonvoting member of Congress, Jenniffer Gonzalez; Sen. Rick Scott of Florida; and New York Reps. Nydia Velázquez and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez have demanded Rosselló step aside.

Impeachment committee forms in Puerto Rico as protesters call for Gov. Rosselló to resign

Quote:

San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN)As thousands of people crowded the streets calling for Gov. Ricardo Rosselló to step down, the president of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives created a special committee on Friday to advise him on whether the governor committed impeachable offenses. . . . While Rosselló has refused to step down, two Cabinet members who participated in the chats resigned July 13. And on Friday, one of his aides -- press secretary Dennise Peréz -- also stepped down. . . . The leak came the same week that two former officials from Rosselló's administration were arrested by the FBI as part of a federal corruption investigation.

via International Skeptics Forum https://ift.tt/2Y9qfGv