Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 15 July 2019

Top Puerto Rican officials resign over profanity-laced chat

By DÁNICA COTO behavior is completely un-
Associated Press acceptable.”
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) In the chat, Rosselló wrote
— Puerto Rico’s Gov. Ri- that he was upset Mark-
cardo Rosselló announced Viverito had criticized Tom
Saturday that his chief fi- Perez, chair of the Demo-
nancial officer and secre- cratic National Committee,
tary of state will step down for supporting statehood
following their participation for Puerto Rico.
in a private chat that used Puerto Rican pop star Ricky
profanities to describe Martin, who was mentioned
an ex-New York City offi- in the chat with a homo-
cial and a federal control phobic comment, urged
board overseeing the is- Rosselló to step down.
land’s finances. Martin tweeted that the
The U.S. territory’s CFO governor “lacks the abili-
Christian Sobrino, who is ties of a true leader, who
also the governor’s rep- inspires, stimulates and
resentative to the control guides by example so that
board, announced he was our people attain a higher
stepping down via Twitter level of life.”
on Saturday. Its Secretary Rosselló has also lost the
of State Luis G. Rivera Marín Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rossello holds a press conference, almost two days after federal support of top members
also offered his resignation. authorities arrested the island’s former secretary of education and five other people on charges from his pro-statehood par-
Rosselló later released of steering federal money to unqualified, politically connected contractors, in San Juan, Puerto ty, including the presidents
a statement saying he Rico, Thursday, July 11, 2019. of Puerto Rico’s Senate
would let go members of Associated Press and House of Representa-
his administration who par- a string of emojis with the as a human being and as ashamed of his language tives and the Federation of
ticipated in the chat on a middle finger raised. a Puerto Rican,” Rosselló and of how this might af- Mayors of his New Progres-
messaging system used by “Aware that the current said. “But I recognize there fect the reputation of the sive Party.
government officials. The environment cannot be is no other way out and U.S. territory, which had al- Rosselló has said he will not
release of the chat’s con- maintained, I have com- there is no worthwhile for- ready come under scrutiny resign.
tents in local media had municated to all the other giveness on my part that earlier this week with the ar- The turmoil comes as Puer-
led to calls for the gover- public officials involved in does not include correc- rests of former government to Rico battles a 13-year
nor’s resignation. the chat that I will have to tions and clear signs of in- officials including the is- recession, a debt crisis and
Rosselló apologized for the dispense with their services tent to change.” land’s education secretary. tries to from devastating
comments late Thursday, and/or their advice,” he Justice Secretary Wanda Rosselló said late Thursday hurricanes in 2017.
saying he’d been working said in the statement. Vázquez announced that that he had not yet spoken Days earlier, FBI agents ar-
18-hour days and releasing He said he would ask Ri- she was appointing a spe- to Mark-Viverito, who post- rested Julia Keleher, Puerto
tensions when he called cardo Llerandi to remain cial task force to determine ed a lengthy statement on Rico’s former education
former New York City Coun- as Puerto Rico’s secretary whether any laws were Twitter that read in part, “A secretary, and five others
cil speaker Melissa Mark-Vi- of the interior and Anthony broken regarding the chat person who uses that lan- on charges of steering fed-
verito the Spanish word for Maceira to stay as secre- and comments made. guage against a woman, eral money to unqualified,
“whore” and in English told tary of Public Affairs. The comments had drawn whether a public figure politically connected con-
the oversight board to “go “This is a very painful situa- the ire of many Puerto Ri- or not, should not govern tractors.
f--- yourself” followed by tion for me, as Governor, cans who said they were Puerto Rico ...this type of Officials said the alleged

Guatemala to reschedule meeting

between Morales and Trump

Morales from acceding elsewhere who cross into ble though not finalized,
to Trump’s requests. The Guatemala would have but the Guatemalan gov-
meeting had been set to to apply for asylum there ernment said it was not
take place Monday. instead of doing so at the intending to make such a
“Due to speculation and le- U.S. border — potentially deal in the first place.
gal proceedings admitted easing the immigration The Constitutional Court
for processing to the Con- crush that the United States was scheduled to convene
stitutional Court, a decision is dealing with and hand- on Sunday to discuss the
was made to reschedule ing Trump a concession he legal basis for prohibiting
In this June 18, 2019 file photo, migrants arriving from Guate- the bilateral meeting un- could tout as a win. Morales, Foreign Minister
mala disembark from a raft in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico. til we know what was re- Critics have said that the Sandra Jovel and Interior
Associated Press solved by said court,” a Guatemalan government Minister Enrique Degenhart
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A Guatemala’s office of the statement said. It added does not have the resourc- from signing an agreement.
meeting between U.S. Pres- presidency said Sunday. that other bilateral issues es to help migrants and Alfredo Brito, secretary for
ident Donald Trump and his The presidency said that in the public interest would asylum seekers trying to presidential communica-
Guatemalan counterpart the meeting would be re- continue to be discussed. get to the U.S. when tens tion, told The Associated
Jimmy Morales over a po- scheduled because the A “safe third country” of thousands of its own citi- Press there is still no sched-
tential “safe third country” Constitutional Court has agreement would mean zens have fled just this year. uled date for a new meet-
agreement for asylum seek- not yet ruled on legal ap- that Salvadorans, Hon- U.S. officials said that “safe ing between Morales and
ers has been canceled, peals aimed at preventing durans and people from third country” is on the ta- Trump.q