Puerto Rico’s Next Governor Hasn’t Been Sworn In and She’s Already Under Investigation
On her first day as bankrupt Puerto Rico’s governor-in-waiting, Secretary of Justice Wanda Vazquez was immediately embroiled in an investigation when the island’s Office of Government Ethics announced a review of her conduct as the commonwealth’s chief law-enforcement officer.
Zulma Rosario, executive director of Puerto Rico’s Office of Government Ethics, directed her staff Thursday to look into accusations that Vazquez ignored evidence of possible corruption in the provision of hurricane relief. It is a probe into probes -- or the lack thereof -- and reflects the island’s bitter and personal politics.
Mariana Cobian, spokeswoman for Vazquez, declined to comment.
On San Juan’s streets Thursday, Puerto Ricans were celebrating after Governor Ricardo Rossello said late the night before that he would leave on Aug. 2 after weeks of massive protests. Residents demanded his resignation after the publication of leaked profanity-laced chats in which the governor and his officials made fun of ordinary Puerto Ricans and political rivals.
Vazquez, a 59-year-old member of Rossello’s New Progressive Party, is next in the line of succession. That’s because Puerto Rico doesn’t have a secretary of state after Luis Rivera Marin resigned because of his participation in the chats. It’s unclear whether Rossello will nominate a secretary of state before Aug. 2.
Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez, who represents the commonwealth in Washington, said in a statement that “the new governor can count on all of my support, experiences and resources.” House Speaker Carlos “Johnny” Mendez said he planned to meet with Vazquez on Thursday to ensure an orderly transition.
But Vazquez was buffeted even before taking office.
Critics in the legislature have said Vazquez didn’t fully investigate the possible diversion of aid-supply trucks meant for victims of Hurricane Maria. A charity linked to first lady Beatriz Rossello was supposed to be distributing the aid. Another issue involves potential influence peddling in a medical cannabis regulatory body that they say Vazquez failed to investigate.
Protesters have demanded a fresh start from compromised politicians whose ineffective leadership failed to end a more than decade-long recession that pushed the commonwealth into bankruptcy in 2017. Their pressure created a leadership void as officials fled Rossello’s administration after the chat scandal and the indictment this month of two former colleague on charges of steering contracts to favored companies.
Puerto Rico crowds hail governor’s resignation, but say there are still a ‘lot of corrupt people' to remove
100’s of New York Puerto Rican’s celebrate the Resignation of
The Governor of Puerto Rico’s Resignation after a week of intense Protests.
NYC CITY COUNCILMAN 14th District Bronx, NY ON STAGE
FOR THIS MAJOR PROTEST IN 🇵🇷 PUERTO RICO INVITING FORMER NYC
COUNCIL SPEAKER MELISSA MARK - VERITTO ON STAGE WITH PROTESTORS HOST(S).
IN A RARE UNORTHODOX MOVE, NYC COUNCILMAN CABRERA/ CHRISTIAN PASTOR
IN THE BRONX WAS FRONT AND CENTER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PROTEST AND LEADING THIS INTENSE MARCH TO PRESSURE THE P.R. GOVERNOR TO STEP DOWN IMMEDIATELY.
Civil unrest in Puerto Rico forces multiple cruise ships to alter routes
By Michael Hollan | Fox News
Civil unrest in Puerto Rico is forcing multiple cruise ships to alter their itineraries.
Royal Caribbean canceled stops in San Juan on at least two of its cruises, affecting passengers on Empress of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas. Some passengers took to Twitter to complain, while others praised the cruise line for taking the safety of their passengers so seriously.
President Trump: Puerto Rico leadership is "corrupt" and "robbing the U.S. Government blind"
President Trump tweeted saying "a lot of bad things are happening in Puerto Rico."
This came after protestors clashed with police Wednesday night. They are calling for Governor Ricardo Rosselló to resign after 900 pages of offensive messages were leaked.
Trump continued: "The Governor is under siege, the Mayor of San Juan is a despicable and incompetent person who I wouldn't trust under any circumstance."
Puerto Rico Secretary of Public Safety: "Obviously we need to investigate"
Puerto Rico Secretary of Public Safety Elmer Román said he will investigate Wednesday night’s violent protests after being shown a CNN video of an officer grabbing a protestor.
Initially, when corespondent Leyla Santiago asked Román why the officer grabbed the protestor, he said it was because the protestor was trying to jump the barricade, which would be illegal.
The FBI arrested multiple officials in Puerto Rico Wednesday regarding a potential “payoff” scheme using American hurricane relief aid on the island following a series of natural disasters.
“The FBI on Wednesday arrested two former senior officials who served in the administration of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, leading the chairman of the House committee that oversees Puerto Rico to call for the governor to step down,” reports the Washington Post.
“The arrests also spurred concerns on Capitol Hill about the billions of dollars in aid that Congress has approved for the island,” adds the newspaper. “The federal indictment says the former officials illegally directed federal funding to politically connected contractors. The arrests come about a month after Congress approved a controversial disaster aid bill that earmarked additional funding for Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricane Maria in 2017. The aid was tied up in part because President Trump called island officials ‘incompetent or corrupt.’
Former Puerto Rico education secretary and five others arrested in corruption probe
Six people, including Puerto Rico's former education secretary, were arrested in a sweeping corruption probe in which it's alleged that they steered federal funds to unqualified, politically connected contractors, federal officials said Wednesday.
The FBI arrested former education secretary Julia Keleher, former Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration head Ángela Ávila-Marrero; businessmen Fernando Scherrer-Caillet and Alberto Velázquez-Piñol, and education contractors Glenda E. Ponce-Mendoza and Mayra Ponce-Mendoza, who are sisters, on fraud and related charges.
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