Puerto Ricans in the Borderland rally, call for island’s governor to resign

Dozens of Puerto Ricans in the Borderland gathered Saturday afternoon in Lincoln Park in south-central El Paso to demand that the island’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló, resign.

The local protesters chanted, waved Puerto Rican flags and held signs calling for the governor’s ouster.

The demonstrations taking place in El Paso and other U.S. mainland cities mirrored those taking place in the streets outside the governor’s mansion in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Saturday, the latest of several days of protests on the U.S. territory that at times have seen police respond by firing tear gas.

Scores of demonstrators stood at least a block from the governor’s residence, known as La Fortaleza, facing a line of security officers who kept the crowd from approaching the building any closer.

The protests are sparked in part by last weekend’s leaks of offensive private chat messages between the governor and his inner circle. But demonstrators also have railed against alleged government corruption, even as the island battles high poverty rates, crushing debt and a painful recovery from 2017’s devastating Hurricane Maria.

Rosselló’s aides have said he does not intend to step down. He has not responded to media interview requests — but in a statement posted to Twitter, Rosselló said he would continue to work toward regaining the Puerto Rican people’s trust.

“I recognize the challenge that I have before me because of the recent controversies, but I firmly believe that it is possible to restore confidence and that we will be able, after this painful process, to achieve reconciliation,” he said.

The chaos in Puerto Rico follows the Center for Investigative Journalism’s publication of nearly 900 pages of leaked chats from the governor’s private Telegram Messenger group in which he and 11 top aides and Cabinet members exchanged profanity-laced, homophobic and misogynistic messages about fellow politicians, members of the media and celebrities.

In one, the former chief financial officer appeared to joke about those who died in Maria.

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.

While Rosselló has refused to step down, two Cabinet members who participated in the chats resigned July 13. And Friday, one of his aides — press secretary Dennise Perez — also stepped down, saying she was upset that a citizen had called her corrupt in front of her son.

Governor denies new accusation

On Saturday, Rosselló denied a new accusation, reported by news outlet NotiCel, that he was paid by the island’s legislature for access to his father, a former governor, and kept up to a million dollars in bank accounts.

Rosselló said on Twitter that was “totally false.”

“It is truly lamentable and disappointing that a person which I considered a friend would make such ill-intentioned and false comments. I don’t know his intentions and ask myself what is behind such similar falsities,” the governor tweeted.

The accusation comes from Rosselló’s longtime family friend and business partner, Yosem E. Companys. Companys told NotiCel he was discussing a business investment with Rosselló.

“Ricky told me he had all the money we needed. I asked him if it was family money,” Companys told NotiCel.

“No, I have it,” Rosselló reportedly told him. “He told me, ‘I have a million in bank accounts.’

“To which I asked, ‘From where?’

“He told me, ‘Don’t say anything, but basically I get paid around $100,000 to $200,000 as adviser to the legislature and I don’t have to do anything. The only thing I have to do is when they want to contact my dad, I give them access,” Companys said.

Companys asked him whether he thought it was unethical, according to the report, and Rosselló reportedly told him, “I am on their payroll; that’s how things function in Puerto Rico.”

The exchange occurred between 2006 and 2007, Companys said.

New committee checks possible impeachable offenses

On Friday, the president of Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives created a special committee to advise him on whether the governor committed impeachable offenses.

The impeachment research committee includes three attorneys who will have 10 days to provide a detailed report to Carlos “Johnny” Mendez, according to a news release from the House leader’s spokesman, Raúl Colón.

The committee will evaluate the content of the leaked messages between Rosselló and Cabinet members and determine whether there’s proof Rosselló committed a crime, Mendez said.

“We are here to order this evaluation, one that will be transparent and responsible,” he said. “I thank this group of lawyers for giving a step forward in this historic moment for Puerto Rico. We will thoroughly evaluate the conclusions of this committee, so we can proceed.”