Who is our current governor and what political party does he belong to?

Who Is Wanda Vázquez, Puerto Rico's New Governor?

Credit... GDA, via Associated Press

• July 24, 2019

This article was updated on Aug. vii.

SAN JUAN, P.R. — Amongst weeks of political turmoil in Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez became the island's 3rd governor in five days on Wednesday, although it is unclear how long she will remain in the chore.

She took the oath of function after the Puerto Rico Supreme Court ruled that Pedro R. Pierluisi had been sworn in as governor unconstitutionally on Fri. He was replacing Ricardo A. Rosselló, who resigned after public protests prompted by the leak of private letters in which he and his aides insulted politicians and everyday Puerto Ricans.

Ms. Vázquez had said she was not interested in becoming governor, and some take suggested that she may before long enquire the Legislative Assembly to ostend a new secretarial assistant of state — and then hand the governorship over to that person. One possible candidate is Jenniffer González-Colón, Puerto Rico'due south resident commissioner in Congress.

But for now, Ms. Vázquez is in accuse.

Who is Wanda Vázquez?

Ms. Vázquez had been the island's secretary of justice, the equivalent of a state chaser general, since January 2017. She is a fellow member of the New Progressive Political party, similar Mr. Rosselló, who appointed her. She worked every bit an attorney specializing in domestic and sexual violence before her appointment to the peak post at the republic'southward Section of Justice. She was appointed to pb the office of women's affairs in 2010.

Does that mean she will exist an advocate for women?

Some women's groups opposed Ms. Vázquez during her seven years every bit the caput of the isle'south women's diplomacy role. (It was supposed to exist a ten-year term, just she left early to become secretarial assistant of justice.)

"A lot of feminist groups were very critical of Wanda Vázquez," said Saadi Rosado of the Feminist Collective, an advocacy group. "She failed to address gender violence issues and was another piece of government bureaucracy."

Women's groups had been fighting Mr. Rosselló's administration — at one point conducting a demonstration exterior his function — demanding that he declare a state of emergency because of a rising in gender-based violence.

"She has not even spoken out about this state of emergency that we take been asking for a year," Ms. Rosado said.

Mind to 'The Daily': The Political Crunch in Puerto Rico

A leaked group chat involving the governor set off protests demanding his resignation. The outcry has brought the island to a crossroads.

transcript

transcript

Listen to 'The Daily': The Political Crisis in Puerto Rico

Hosted past Michael Barbaro; produced by Adizah Eghan and Theo Balcomb, with help from Rachel Quester, Jazmín Aguilera and Jessica Cheung; and edited by Lisa Tobin

A leaked group chat involving the governor set up off protests demanding his resignation. The outcry has brought the island to a crossroads.

michael barbaro

From The New York Times, I'm Michael Barbaro. This is "The Daily."

Today: Hundreds of leaked text messages revealed the governor of Puerto Rico mocking his own citizens. For Puerto Ricans, it was the last harbinger.

It'south Friday, July 19.

[phone ringing]

michael barbaro

Hi, Pati.

patricia mazzei

Hi, Michael Barbaro.

michael barbaro

Hello, hello. How are you?

patricia mazzei

I've been better. How are you?

michael barbaro

I'm O.K. Why have you been better? What'due south the affair?

patricia mazzei

Well, I'm just tired. It's been actually long nights. Only that's O.Grand.

michael barbaro

You lot've been staying upward late roofing the protests.

patricia mazzei

Yes, sir. There'southward a meme in Puerto Rico of people proverb, O.Yard., I'one thousand going to bed, and a friend telling them, only what if the governor resigns? And the person lying in bed with their eyes wide open. They don't want to miss that moment, and and so —

michael barbaro

Right, right, right. The one moment y'all doze off is the moment it all happens.

patricia mazzei

That's what we live in fear of.

michael barbaro

I reached Pati Mazzei, a national correspondent for The Times, in San Juan. Pati, for nearly listeners, I suspect the story of Puerto Rico hits the break button in October of 2017. Hurricane Maria hits. The island is thrown into darkness and into chaos. And President Trump'due south response is seen by many every bit insensitive and insufficient.

patricia mazzei

Yes. But the story came back in Apr of this year when members of Congress were considering a disaster aid pecker.

archived recording

Nature's forces have battered the United States in the past half year — storm winds, floodwaters, and deadly wildfire. To those natural disasters, at present add a man-made one.

patricia mazzei

Not just for Puerto Rico, simply for a agglomeration of states on the mainland that had suffered various natural disasters.

archived recording

A dispute between President Trump and Democrats over hurricane relief for Puerto Rico is threatening disaster relief funding for California's wildfire victims.

patricia mazzei

The president wanted to hold upwardly the neb just because he did not want to ship money to Puerto Rico. So these were billions of dollars that would have gone to Florida, Texas, states in the Midwest that were all of a sudden at this impasse because the president said, I'yard not sending more than to Puerto Rico.

archived recording

President Trump defendant Puerto Rico's leaders of misspending money they had already received.

patricia mazzei

He said the authorities can't exercise anything correct, that the identify is a mess, and nothing works in that location.

archived recording

Here's part of the tweet: The pols are grossly incompetent, spend the money foolishly or corruptly, and merely accept from the U.South.A.

patricia mazzei

And therefore, he did not trust Puerto Rican leaders to manage new funds well.

archived recording

The best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico, the tweet says, is President Donald J. Trump.

michael barbaro

And what's the response in Puerto Rico this time?

patricia mazzei

So Puerto Ricans still don't like being called out by the president. They find that offensive. Simply that doesn't mean that some of them, at least, don't agree with some of the substance of his criticism, which is that the leaders on the isle oasis't e'er been very good fiscal stewards of public funds. Puerto Rico has suffered financial troubles for years and has had corruption scandals for decades. And then people on the island were wary that again, some of this might come up with billions of dollars in recovery aid flowing into the isle.

michael barbaro

So Puerto Ricans don't entirely disagree with the president that mayhap the island tin can't be trusted with the coin.

patricia mazzei

No. And that's what fabricated some of their response nuanced. Y'all tin can exist mad that the president — the simply fourth dimension he talks about you is to say bad things and however think he'southward got a point in that our leaders haven't always done well by the states. In fact, Puerto Rico is effectively bankrupt. They're in a 12-twelvemonth recession, and they have a debt crunch. Their leaders borrowed until they couldn't anymore, and the island ran out of money.

michael barbaro

So Pati, what happens next?

archived recording

[SPEAKING Castilian]

patricia mazzei

So three weeks agone, Puerto Rico's Treasury secretary says in an explosive radio interview that he has gone to federal authorities to report this institutional mafia, he calls it, within the government that is trying to extort him. In a matter of hours, the governor asks the Treasury secretary for his resignation, maxim he tin't trust him because the secretarial assistant didn't go to the governor to tell him what he had constitute. He went direct to the feds.

archived recording

[SPEAKING Spanish]

michael barbaro

He'due south firing the Treasury secretary for reporting an alleged extortion attempt to the U.s. government.

patricia mazzei

Every bit you tin can imagine, that doesn't sit well with some of the governor'due south critics, and also with some of the secretary's family members.

archived recording

[SPEAKING Castilian]

patricia mazzei

His son takes to social media to criticize the governor, and then the son gets investigated by police. And this starts turning into a real drama.

archived recording

Six people, including 2 former Puerto Rican officials, were arrested for allegedly diverting millions in federal funds to unqualified, politically connected contractors yesterday.

patricia mazzei

In the center of all this, last week, the U.South. attorney'south office in Puerto Rico announces half-dozen loftier-profile arrests, including of the former education secretarial assistant and of the former executive manager of the island's health insurance administration agency.

archived recording ane

The alleged scam involves $fifteen.five million in federal funding allocated since 2017.

archived recording ii

The feds say they were defrauding the federal authorities.

archived recording 3

Hither's what is really and then disappointing. Julia Keleher, she was impressive. She was driven. She seemed like someone who could do some good things. It'due south such a slap in the face for an island that needs so much to see her become down if this is true.

archived recording 4

And what I was thinking, too, is that Puerto Rico, P.R., does not need any bad P.R.

patricia mazzei

And to top it all off, the governor is on vacation in Europe. He calls off his holiday, leaves his married woman and children on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, and flies back to get back to the island as quickly as possible. And and then while he'south flying back, at that place's a new contraction.

Someone leaks bits and pieces of a group chat on the messaging app Telegram between the governor and 11 of his closest aides. And in this leak are offensive and profane comments that they make nearly some of their political opponents. There is a snapshot that the governor posts of a tweet by the former speaker of the New York Urban center Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito, who is originally from Puerto Rico, where she's criticizing Tom Perez, the president of the Democratic National Commission. And the governor'due south response is [SPEAKING Castilian], which, in English, means, our people need to go out and defend Tom and go later on this whore.

archived recording (ricardo rosselló)

So, well, get-go of all, practiced afternoon. Thank y'all all for being here.

patricia mazzei

And so by the time the governor lands in San Juan —

archived recording (ricardo rosselló)

Briefly, I wanted to talk to the press.

patricia mazzei

The unabridged printing corps has assembled and is ready to pounce.

archived recording

What strategy are yous using to proceed the operations of government and the economy, for the economic system to continue?

archived recording (ricardo rosselló)

And so expert question.

archived recording

There's been some calls for your resignation from your political position. Do you take a decision or an answer to that telephone call?

archived recording (ricardo rosselló)

So I'm moving frontward with all of my elected positions.

archived recording

You were the leader of this chat room that conspired to discredit people you didn't like. Why would you practise that?

archived recording (ricardo rosselló)

Well, once more, I've already mentioned I am — I am not proud of what I did. Those were only comments, but they were hurtful comments. It's why I apologize for what I've done.

michael barbaro

And how does that caption go over?

patricia mazzei

Not especially well. The people who were insulted in the chat say that this is unacceptable behavior by their leaders. And Puerto Ricans in general, who have been seeing these bits and pieces come up out, are sort of just waiting for the next i to drop. And so it'due south not that in that location's another bit that drops.

archived recording

Governor Ricardo Rosselló has been under burn since almost 900 pages of a private group chat were leaked and published this weekend by the Center for —

patricia mazzei

It'south 889 pages published on Saturday morning by Puerto Rico's Middle for Investigative Reporting detailing 2 months of this chat in full.

archived recording

The leaked chat room conversations between the governor and xi others are laced with profane, homophobic and sexist comments.

michael barbaro

And what is in this 2d batch of letters?

patricia mazzei

The 2d batch of messages has more than insults where non but are they targeting critics of the governor and his administration, simply also their allies — for instance, a swain who is overweight who met with the governor. And in that location's a picture in the conversation of the two shaking hands and the governor making a cleft well-nigh [SPEAKING Spanish]. No, I'm not thinner. It'southward an optical illusion. And so proverb, [SPEAKING SPANISH]. He generates his own gravity field. I mean, things that are just really —

michael barbaro

Cruel.

patricia mazzei

Inappropriate. Yes. But in add-on to that, there is the bigger picture, which is that in that location are people in this conversation who are no longer members of the government, including a lobbyist who has his own business interests. And he is getting fed inside information from his buddies with the governor being enlightened of it.

michael barbaro

So weeks after President Trump calls the government of Puerto Rico corrupt, there are all these indictments that basically say he's right. And then there are these leaks that bandage the Puerto Rican regime every bit completely insensitive to everyday Puerto Ricans.

patricia mazzei

Yeah. If you idea, cynically, that these people were more concerned almost how they await than what they do, if you idea that maybe they didn't really respect people, fifty-fifty if they pretended outwardly that they did, and if y'all were concerned that there was — if non real corruption, and so the perception of corruption, that it could exist happening, that people were really cozy with their friends, with lobbyists and business concern leaders in their inner circumvolve, then what the conversation did was confirm your worst fears and prove that you were right. So people started taking to the streets spontaneously. And they're very fed up. And so that's when I get on a airplane and come, because we're starting to wonder if this is going to force the governor to resign. Is this going to be a moment that changes things?

michael barbaro

Nosotros'll exist right dorsum.

[music]

michael barbaro

So Pati, walk me through the concluding few days in San Juan.

patricia mazzei

The streets of One-time San Juan are narrow and colonial. They're cobblestone streets lined with shops that are painted in colorful cerise and pink and light-green and purple. And they have been deserted during the day and packed at dark — not because people are going to bars or there'due south a bunch of tourists hither, merely because the protesters come down.

archived recording

[CHANTING]

patricia mazzei

They come up with flags in hand, and they're wearing black and white T-shirts with political messages. And they are merely standing for hours, sometimes starting in the heart of the solar day under the scorching lord's day, in front — or as shut as they can get in forepart — to the governor's mansion, La Fortaleza, which means the fortress. And —

archived recording

[CHANTING]

patricia mazzei

— they start chanting. And this is the Caribbean, so the percussion is great.

archived recording

[CHANTING]

patricia mazzei

They detect these swell rhymes.

archived recording

[CHANTING]

patricia mazzei

With the governor's nickname, Ricky. And then they just keep saying, ¡Ricky, renuncia!" Resign, resign.

archived recording

[CHANTING]

patricia mazzei

People were not just mad about these chats. Some of the signs were about that. Some of the chants were about that. Just 1 of the things that was really stunning was the number of protestation signs that just listed the number of people who have been estimated could accept died under Hurricane Maria. And then some signs just said four,645, the upper-cease judge. These people have suffered not only through hurricanes and a power outage that lasted a twelvemonth, but too with major economic hardships, and layoffs, and schoolhouse closures, and people leaving the island en masse to movement to the mainland. And information technology all just was pent up, and it exploded all at one time.

archived recording

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

patricia mazzei

And then the celebrities joined the people.

archived recording

[SPEAKING Castilian]

patricia mazzei

And on Wednesday dark, there is Ricky Martin and the rapper Residente, and the trap musician Bad Bunny, and the vocalizer iLe.

archived recording

[SINGING]

patricia mazzei

And they're standing on the platform of this truck as the sun is setting, and they're in forepart of the body of water, the Capitol backside them. And iLe looks out over this crowd between the Capitol and the palm copse and the sea, and she says, it was near damn time to wake up.

archived recording

[SINGING]

michael barbaro

And so it'due south clear that a lot of this frustration is landing at the doorstep of the governor. But my sense is that because of the complicated relationship between Puerto Rico and the U.s., that the governor is not all that powerful, correct?

patricia mazzei

It'south interesting that you mentioned that, Michael, because i of the other chants that we heard was ¡Ricky, renuncia, y llévate a la junta!

archived recording

[SPEAKING Castilian]

patricia mazzei

Ricky, resign, and have the board with yous. And that refers to this federal oversight board that Congress created to handle Puerto Rico's finances later it substantially went bankrupt. And that is another large target of these protests, because the board's role is to tell Puerto Rico what it cannot spend. And that involves layoffs, and school closures, and university tuition hikes, and maybe targeting public pensions. And and so the lath, which is unelected and comes from Washington, has made Puerto Ricans experience powerless. To a lot of them, it'due south just another instance of how they accept been colonized, first by Spain and and then by the United States. And it reminds them that they can elect their governor, they can elect some of their leaders, but they cannot elect the president. They are not a land. They are non a country. And a lot of this is out of their hands.

michael barbaro

So the mismanagement by Puerto Rico'due south own leadership leads the federal government, a regime that Puerto Ricans don't call up actually sees them equally equal to the mainland, to step in. And information technology'south sort of this vicious cycle where the worse Puerto Rico'south leadership behaves, the more than the federal authorities intervenes, and likewise has sort of proven correct in this argument that Puerto Rico doesn't deserve or can't quite properly handle this federal funding.

patricia mazzei

Right. And in the middle, the people of Puerto Rico keep suffering.

archived recording

[SHOUTING]

michael barbaro

Pati, what happens now?

patricia mazzei

Well, the people on the streets want the governor to resign, but he says that he'southward not going to go. There is talk in the legislature that they might impeach him, but they accept not decided if they're going to yet. Fifty-fifty if he goes, and so there is a whole new set of questions. Can his replacement, in that example, govern? Many Puerto Ricans would like more autonomy to govern themselves, but who tin can they trust when the federal government is not inclined to requite them more than autonomy? The island regime has non proven to exist all that constructive. How can the next person atomic number 82 an isle under these circumstances, under this sort of federal oversight, without whatever money, recovering from a hurricane? And basically, the biggest question is, is this isle governable? Is this place a place that tin can be effectively run? And I don't know the answer to that.

archived recording

[CHANTING]

michael barbaro

Pati, thank you very much.

patricia mazzei

Thank you, Michael.

archived recording

[CHANTING]

michael barbaro

We'll exist correct back.

Here's what else you demand to know today. On Thursday, the U.S. Navy shot down an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz non far from where Iran shot downwards a U.S. drone several weeks ago. The Trump administration said that before it was struck, the unmanned Iranian drone had ignored multiple warnings that it was straying close to an American ship, the U.S.Due south. Boxer. The attack is expected to inflame tensions between the ii countries. And —

archived recording

When your supporters concluding nighttime were chanting "send her back," why didn't you stop them? Why didn't you ask them to stop proverb that?

archived recording (donald trump)

Well, number one, I call up I did. I started speaking very speedily.

michael barbaro

President Trump on Thursday tried to distance himself from supporters who chanted "transport her back" at a rally the night earlier when he mentioned Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a reference to his ain tweet about Omar and three of her Democratic colleagues.

archived recording (donald trump)

I disagree with information technology, by the manner. But information technology was quite a dirge. And I felt a little chip badly about it.

michael barbaro

But reverse to the president's claim that he tried to quickly stop the chant, video shows he listened on for 13 seconds as the crowd repeatedly yelled.

archived recording

Transport her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back!

michael barbaro

On Thursday afternoon, a large crowd greeted Congresswoman Omar as she returned to Minnesota.

archived recording

Welcome home, Ilhan! Welcome home, Ilhan! Welcome home, Ilhan! Welcome habitation, Ilhan! Welcome home, Ilhan!

michael barbaro

"The Daily" is made by Theo Balcomb, Andy Mills, Lisa Tobin, Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Annie Brown, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Larissa Anderson, Wendy Dorr, Chris Woods, Jessica Cheung, Alexandra Leigh Young, Jonathan Wolfe, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, Adizah Eghan, Kelly Prime, Julia Longoria, Sindhu Gnanasambandan and Jazmín Aguilera. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special cheers to Sam Dolnick, Mikayla Bouchard, Julia Simon, Stella Tan and William Rashbaum. That's it for "The Daily." I'm Michael Barbaro. See y'all on Monday.

What is Ms. Vázquez's political standing in Puerto Rico?

Her human relationship with the legislative branch is fraught, to say the least. Her time as secretary of justice has been punctuated by criticism that she has dragged her feet on investigating controversies involving members of her own party. She has clashed especially with Thomas Rivera Schatz, the president of the Senate. Ms. Vázquez came under intense legal scrutiny herself last year amidst upstanding complaints filed by the Office of the Independent Special Prosecutor.

What became of that controversy?

In November 2018, Ms. Vázquez faced allegations that she had improperly intervened on behalf of her daughter and son-in-law in a case involving a theft from their residence. She was the first secretary of justice to face criminal charges, co-ordinate to the Puerto Rican daily El Nuevo Dia. Ms. Vázquez was briefly suspended from her post as the investigation developed. But she was afterward cleared of any ethical violations by Estimate Yazdel Ramos Colón, who said there was not sufficient evidence against her.

Ms. Vázquez was immediately reinstated to her post by Mr. Rosselló, a motion that drew criticism because it came before the menses of an appeal had passed.

The case at one point took a personal turn: Her hubby, Jorge Díaz Reverón, a estimate in Caguas, also came under investigation on matters related to the case. Mr. Díaz reportedly interviewed the agent investigating his girl'southward case and asked if he would be willing to prove on Ms. Vázquez's behalf.

Mr. Diaz was ultimately cleared of any upstanding violations by a Supreme Court judicial disciplinary committee.

Practise these political bug complicate things?

Definitely — peculiarly Ms. Vázquez's problems with the powerful Senate leader, Mr. Rivera, who like Ms. González-Colón is considered a candidate for governor.

He has been engaged in a public battle with Ms. Vázquez for over a year. He called for her resignation, defendant her of committing crimes and criticized her treatment of several cases. Information technology began when Ms. Vázquez investigated allegations of abuse in the Senate leader's office. The probe led to a federal indictment against a key Senate official, who was accused this year of submitting fake invoices that benefited Mr. Rivera's political allies.

That was when a special counsel's part, an office over which Mr. Rivera is believed to have influence, began the investigation involving Ms. Vázquez and her family.

The bad claret between the two politicians has long played out in the local news. Mr. Rivera has called Ms. Vázquez "the secretary of goose egg."

padulaofficeir85.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/24/us/puerto-rico-wanda-vasquez-governor.html

Share this post