Puerto Rico Gov. Rossell's scandals threaten recovery from Hurricane Maria

Orion Rummler6 hours ago

2020 candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and former HUD secretary Julián Castro called for Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló to resign on Friday, while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez echoed the call on Saturday.

Why it matters: Puerto Rico, which declared bankruptcy in 2017 amid "the biggest government financial collapse in United States history," is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria. Rosselló has said he won't resign, but his political power has already diminished — putting the island's long-term recovery in further jeopardy as his scandals outweigh efforts to rebuild.

What's happening: Leaked Telegram chats from the past year show that Rosselló made misogynistic and homophobic jokes with other officials, mocked Hurricane Maria victims, and joked about shooting San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. The chats also included "sensitive government issues" with people in the private sector who no longer work in Rosselló's administration, CNN reports.

2 of Rosselló's top former officials — his former secretary of education and former Health Insurance Administration head — were arrested by the FBI on fraud and corruption charges last week — his former secretary of education and former Health Insurance Administration head — were arrested by the FBI on fraud and corruption charges last week.