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Telegramgate

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Telegramgate
Protesters in San Juan following the resignation announcement of Governor Ricardo Rosselló, marching from Milla de Oro in Hato Rey to the Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Ricky Martin, Residente and Bad Bunny (center, L–R) were among many public figures that demanded Rosselló's resignation.
DateJuly 8, 2019 – ongoing
(5 years, 4 months, 1 week and 2 days)
Location
Main demonstrations in Puerto Rico:

Solidarity protests:

  • Dozens of other cities in Puerto Rico and abroad
Caused byLeaking of hundreds of pages of vulgar, racist, and homophobic comments in a private group chat between Governor Ricardo Rosselló and past and current members of his staff
GoalsResignation of Rosselló as the Governor of Puerto Rico
MethodsInternet activism, graffiti, sit-ins, street protests, picketing, protest art
StatusOngoing
Concessions
  • Rosselló relieved all participants of the group chat from their positions in the government, others resigned beforehand.
  • Rosselló announced his resignation from the presidency of his political party and that he would not seek reelection for the 2020 elections on July 21.
  • Rosselló announced his resignation as Governor of Puerto Rico on July 24, effective August 2 at 5:00 p.m. AST.[1][2]
  • Rosselló's projected successor, Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez Garced, publicly rejected the office.
  • Rosselló announced on July 31 his nomination of former Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi to the position of Secretary of State, with the intention of having him succeed the office of Governor of Puerto Rico.[3]
Parties
Protesters
(no centralised leadership)
Lead figures
Protesters

(no centralised leadership)

Government

  • Ricardo Rosselló
    Governor of Puerto Rico
  • Christian Sobrino
    Governor's representative to the PROMESA board
  • Ramón Rosario
    Secretary of public relations of La Fortaleza
  • Elías Sánchez
    Political campaign director, lobbyist
  • Rafael Cerame
    Communications consultant
  • Carlos Bermúdez
    Communications consultant
  • Ricardo Llerandi
    Secretary to the Governor
  • Alfonso Orona
    Legal consultant to the Governor
  • Anthony Maceira
    Secretary of public relations
  • Edwin Miranda
    Publicist, founder of the advertising agency KOI[4]
  • Raúl Maldonado
    Secretary of the Treasury
  • Luis G. Rivera Marín
    Secretary of State
Casualties
Death(s)0
InjuriesAt least 20
(as of July 25, 2019)[5]
ArrestedAt least 16
(as of July 25, 2019)[5]

Telegramgate, also known as Chatgate or RickyLeaks,[6][7] is an ongoing political scandal involving Ricardo Rosselló, the Governor of Puerto Rico, which began on July 8, 2019, with the leaking of hundreds of pages of a group chat on the messaging application Telegram between Rosselló and past and current members of his staff. The messages were considered vulgar, racist, and homophobic toward several individuals and groups, and discussed how they would use the media to target potential political opponents. The leak came in the midst of allegations by former Secretary of Treasury of Puerto Rico, Raúl Maldonado Gautier, that his department boasted an "institutional mafia" that Rosselló was involved in. The leaks came a year after a previous scandal, dubbed WhatsApp Gate, involving other members of Rosselló's cabinet.[8]

Mass protests arose, reaching up to 500,000 people at a single event on July 17.[9] On July 22, 2019, up to a million protesters[10] shut down the Expreso Las Américas, an 11-lane highway.[11][12][13] While several of his staff have resigned in the wake,[13] Rosselló initially refused to resign as governor and simply resigned as president of the governing pro-statehood New Progressive Party on July 21 and said he would not seek re-election in the 2020 Puerto Rico gubernatorial election. By July 22, there had been eleven consecutive days of protests, near La Fortaleza, the Governor's mansion in San Juan.[14] On July 24, 2019, Rosselló announced that he will resign as governor on August 2, 2019.[11][13]

Telegram chat dialog

On July 8, 2019, a small segment of Telegram chat messages between Ricardo Rosselló and various members of his cabinet, former advisors, and former campaign managers were leaked and spread by the local press.[15] The full 889-page copy of the conversations was published July 13, by local investigative news agency Puerto Rico Center for Investigative Journalism.[16]

Among those identified in the chat logs are:[15]

  • Ricardo Rosselló, governor
  • Christian Sobrino, governor's representative to the PROMESA board
  • Ramón Rosario, secretary of public affairs of La Fortaleza (governor's residence)
  • Elías Sánchez, 2016 political campaign director, lobbyist
  • Rafael Cerame, communications consultant
  • Carlos Bermúdez, communications consultant
  • Ricardo Llerandi, chief of staff to the governor
  • Alfonso Orona, legal counsel to the governor
  • Anthony Maceira, secretary of public relations
  • Edwin Miranda, publicist, founder of the advertising agency KOI[4]
  • Raúl Maldonado, Secretary of the Treasury
  • Luis G. Rivera Marín, Secretary of State

The chat messages were found by the general public to be vulgar and racist and described as a "bro" culture among the group.[16] Chat members referred to New York City Council member Melissa Mark-Viverito as a "whore", made homophobic remarks about Ricky Martin, and called San Juan mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz "una tremenda HP [hija de puta]" - transl. "a total daughter of a bitch". The chats revealed plans to control the media and smear political opponents, and Rosselló shared confidential state information with the non-government officials in the chat.[15]

Other parts of the conversations joked about the deaths from Hurricane Maria.[15] When interviewed by Democracy Now on July 23, 2019, Carla Minet from the Puerto Center for Investigative Journalism stated that it was those jokes that were particularly painful as many Puerto Ricans had been unable to properly bury their dead in the chaotic days that followed Hurricane Maria, and reading chats where the governor mentioned "cadavers", and did not stop others from joking about the dead, which was seen as an unforgivable betrayal.[14]

Impact

Prior to the full log's publication, on July 10, 2019, a 32-count federal indictment resulted in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arresting six people, including two former high-ranking Puerto Rico government officials who served in Rosselló's government, on charges of conspiracy and other crimes in connection with millions of dollars in federal Medicaid and education funds.[17][18][19]

Rosselló was vacationing in France at the time of the leaks on July 11, which forced him to return to the island.[13][20]

Several of Rosselló's staff in the chat log conversations resigned following its publication. Luis Rivera Marín and Christian Sobrino resigned from their positions in the government on July 13;[17][13] In addition, press secretary Dennise Peréz resigned on July 19,[21] and chief of staff Ricardo Llerandi followed suit on July 23.[22]

On July 17, the Puerto Rican Justice Department ordered that all participants be interviewed and have their phones inspected.[18][19][23] The FBI would neither confirm nor deny that it is investigating those involved.[18][19]

On July 19, the Puerto Rican House of Representatives formed an impeachment committee, its members being three attorneys appointed by House leader Carlos Johnny Méndez, to consider whether Rosselló committed impeachable offenses based on the chat log.[24] On July 23, a judge issued an order requiring all participants in the conversation to surrender their phones, which were then seized.[25][26] On July 24, the committee recommended five articles of impeachment against Governor Rosselló.[27]. Later that day, Rosselló publicly announced that he would resign as governor, effective August 2, 2019, at 5:00 PM AST.[28][1][13]

On July 28, the Public Affairs Secretary, Anthony Maceira, resigned.[29]

On July 31, Rosselló announced his nomination of Pedro Pierluisi to the position of Secretary of State, with the intention of having him succeed the office of Governor of Puerto Rico.[3] Pierluisi, former Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico during the Luis Fortuño administration and former Secretary of Justice of Puerto Rico during the Pedro Rosselló administration, was Ricardo Rosselló's former adversary in the 2016 primaries of their party, which resulted in Rosselló's victory over Pierluisi as the New Progressive Party's nominee for Governor of Puerto Rico in the 2016 general elections. The same day that Rosselló nominated Pierluisi, a new document with an additional 100 pages of the controversial chat was released by journalist Sandra Rodríguez Cotto.

Reactions

Civilian

Protest in front of the capitol on July 21, 2019

Protests calling for the governor to resign began upon his return to Puerto Rico from France on July 11, 2019, and continued as of July 22. A July 17 protest in Old San Juan had an attendance of 500,000 people at its peak.[9][30][31] Protests have also been held in other municipalities, cities, and countries.[32][33]

Another protest which was held in Old San Juan on July 22, also drew hundreds of thousands and was reported to have set a protest record,[34][35] with NBC News estimating the crowd size to be potentially over 1 million by 1:00 local time.[36][37]The crowd size is reported to have eclipsed the previous record set when Puerto Rican protestors gathered in 2004 to denounce the US military training missions on the local island of Vieques.[38][14]

Many protested in creative ways, doing yoga, holding signs while scuba diving under water, on horse-back, drumming, with face-painting, via group prayers,[39] and with exhibitions of reminders of those who died in Hurricane Maria.[40][41]

A song, Afilando los Cuchillos, (transl. Sharpening the Knives) with lyrics by Bad Bunny, Residente, and iLe, was released during the protests.[42][43]

Government

Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-Arizona), chair of the House Natural Resources Committee (which oversees Puerto Rico policy), called for the governor to resign amid the scandal.[44]

Jenniffer González, Puerto Rico's sole representative in Congress, said that she believes Rosselló should not seek re-election the following year as a result of the incident. Thomas Rivera Schatz, President of the Puerto Rican Senate, took to Twitter and Facebook to call upon Rosselló and every government official included in the chat to resign; Carlos Johnny Méndez, President of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives, did the same.[31] On July 13, Sila María Calderón, former Governor of the island for the Popular Democratic Party, called upon Rosselló to resign.[45] Luis Fortuño, also a former leader of the US possession, did the same through a letter posted on his social media.[46] On July 19, former San Antonio mayor and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro became the first 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to call for Rosselló's resignation,[47] followed by two fellow presidential contenders, Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Senator Bernie Sanders.[48]

On July 21, Rosselló announced that he would not seek re-election in the 2020 Puerto Rico gubernatorial election, but he initially refused to resign as governor. He also announced his resignation as President of the New Progressive Party.[49] However, three days later, Rosselló announced that he would resign as governor, effective August 2, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. AST, to be replaced by Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez Garced.[28] Vázquez announced in a tweet that she was not interested in becoming governor and that she hopes Rosselló appoints someone before his last day.[29] On August 1, 2019, Rosselló's preferred successor Pedro Pierluisi, who was sworn in as as acting Secretary of State on July 31, 2019,[50] was blocked by the Puerto Rican Senate from being confirmed to his post before Rosselló leaves office.[51] If confirmed by both houses of the Puerto Rican Congress, the Secretary of State also will serve as acting Governor upon the vacancy of the governorship.

References

  1. ^ a b Mazzei, Patricia; Robles, Frances (July 24, 2019). "Ricardo Rosselló, Puerto Rico's Governor, Resigns After Protests". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  2. ^ Mazzei, Patricia; Robles, Frances (July 25, 2019). "Puerto Rico Governor Misread Anger Brewing Against Him". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Ricardo Rosselló selecciona a Pedro Pierluisi como secretario de Estado". El Nuevo Día. July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Puerto Rico Ad Agencies Association suspends KOI". Caribbean Business. July 15, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Varias organizaciones analizan el impacto de las manifestaciones contra Rosselló". El Nuevo Día. July 29, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  6. ^ Weissenstein, Michael; Colon, Joel (July 16, 2019). "'Chatgate' Scandal Plunges Puerto Rico Governor into Political Crisis". Time. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  7. ^ "Puerto Ricans demand resignation of governor in massive protests". Salon. July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  8. ^ Serrano, Oscar J. "WhatsApp Gate 2.0: Nuevo chat expone a la Administración Rosselló". NotiCel (in Spanish). Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Morales, Ed (July 19, 2019). "Why Half a Million Puerto Ricans Are Protesting in the Streets". The Nation. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  10. ^ "Un millón de personas habría asistido al Paro Nacional". Retrieved July 28, 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  11. ^ a b Allyn, Bobby; Neuman, Scott (July 25, 2019). "Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló Resigns In Wake Of Text Message Scandal". National Public Radio. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  12. ^ "Puerto Ricans shut down major highway, march toward capitol to demand that the governor resign". The Washington Post. July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Romero, Simon; Robles, Frances; Mazzei, Patricia; Del Real, Jose A. (July 27, 2019). "15 Days of Fury: How Puerto Rico's Government Collapsed". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  14. ^ a b c "How "Ricky Leaks" Exposed Puerto Rico's Governor and Sparked a Movement to Oust Him". Democracy Now. Retrieved July 23, 2019 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ a b c d Acevedo, Nicole (July 15, 2019). "What's behind Puerto Rico's protests, scandal? Here's 5 things to know". NBC News. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  16. ^ a b Robles, Frances; Rosa, Alejandra (July 22, 2019). "'The People Can't Take It Anymore': Puerto Rico Erupts in a Day of Protests". The New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  17. ^ a b "Top Puerto Rico officials resign in group chat scandal that..." Reuters. July 14, 2019.
  18. ^ a b c Chavez, Nicole; McLaughlin, Eliott C.; Santiago, Leyla; Cuevas, Mayra; Edwards, Meridith (July 18, 2019). "Puerto Rico protesters are clearing the streets after a night of demonstrations included police firing tear gas". CNN.
  19. ^ a b c "Puerto Rico's justice department summons officials involved in homophobic and misogynistic chats". CNN Wire. July 17, 2019.
  20. ^ "Llega a la isla el Gobernador Ricardo Rosselló". Metro PR (in Spanish). July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  21. ^ "PR Gov's Press Secretary Resigns Amid 'Chatgate'". NBC 6 South Florida.
  22. ^ Bello, Marco (July 23, 2019). "Puerto Rico governor's chief of staff resigns amid 'Chatgate' scandal". Global News. Reuters. Retrieved July 24, 2019. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  23. ^ "Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rossello will not seek reelection". ABC7 Chicago. Associated Press. July 21, 2019.
  24. ^
  25. ^ Robles, Frances; Mazzei, Patricia (July 23, 2019). "Puerto Rico Authorities Seize Cellphones Connected to Online Chat That Triggered Uprising". The New York Times. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  26. ^ "Puerto Rico officials tied to online chat ordered to surrender cellphones". CBS News. July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  27. ^ Aceveco, Nicole (July 24, 2019). "Puerto Rico Legislature to begin impeachment process against Gov. Ricardo Rosselló". NBC News. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  28. ^ a b Osborne, Mark; Hoyos, Joshua; Keneally, Meghan (July 24, 2019). "Embattled Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello resigns after weeks of protests". ABC News. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  29. ^ a b Bacon, John (July 28, 2019). "Puerto Rico chaos: Governor-apparent Wanda Vázquez doesn't want the job". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 29, 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  30. ^ "Se caldean los ánimos durante manifestación frente a La Fortaleza". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). July 14, 2019.
  31. ^ a b Mazzei, Patricia (July 14, 2019). "Puerto Rico Leadership in Turmoil Amid Calls for Ricardo Rosselló to Resign". The New York Times.
  32. ^ "En Inglaterra, Chile y Seattle también gritan "Ricky vete ya"". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  33. ^ "Protestas contra Ricardo Rosselló trascienden a nivel mundial". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  34. ^ "Puerto Ricans flood streets, demand resignation of governor in huge protest". NBC News. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  35. ^ Murphy, Paul; Hayes, Mike; Hammond, Elise; Rocha, Veronica (July 22, 2019). "Live: Hundreds of thousands protest in Puerto Rico". CNN. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  36. ^ Varela, Julio Ricardo. "At Puerto Rico protests, Ricky Martin and Bad Bunny joined the 'Ricky renuncia' fight. Here's why". NBC News. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  37. ^ "Un millón de personas habría asistido al Paro Nacional". Retrieved July 28, 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  38. ^ "Massive protests held in Puerto Rico after governor refuses to step down". BBC News. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  39. ^ "Puerto Rico Protesters Got Creative: Dancing, Singing, Diving…". The New York Times. July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  40. ^ "Puerto Ricans Try to Forge Movement to Oust Governor". Latino Rebels. July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  41. ^ Weissenstein, Michael (July 18, 2019). "Puerto Ricans try to forge movement to oust governor". AP NEWS. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  42. ^ Robles, Frances (July 19, 2019). "'Sharpening the Knives': Musicians Join the Protests in Puerto Rico". The New York Times. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  43. ^ "'Afilando Los Cuchillos' Soundtracks Puerto Rico's Social Movement In Real Time". National Public Radio. July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  44. ^ Delgado Robles, José A. "El congresista Raúl Grijalva pide la renuncia del gobernador". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  45. ^ Lama Bonilla, Rafael. "Sila María Calderón le pide la renuncia a Ricardo Rosselló". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  46. ^ "Luis Fortuño le pide la renuncia a Rosselló: "Deje que otro termine su término"". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  47. ^
  48. ^
  49. ^
  50. ^ https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/01/us/puerto-rico-governor-secretary-of-state-thursday/index.html
  51. ^ https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politics/Puerto-Rico-Governor-Successor-Delayed-513504261.html
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