Middle-finger emojis, swear words, and statements of contempt for the opposition as well as for the people he represents — Puerto Rican governor Ricardo Rosselló had all of these in his text messages and worse. He called a female Puerto Rico lawmaker a ‘whore’, the mayor of Puerto Rico’s capital a “daughter of a bitch” and even told a federal oversights committee to ‘go f---’ itself.
All this took place in an all-male group of 12, including not just the governor but also his secretary of state, secretary of treasury and ironically, his secretary of public relations. Given that he did all this via the encrypted chat service Telegram, Rosselló may well have assumed that his ‘locker room talk’ was safe. There was one problem, however, and that was that anybody in the group could screenshot and circulate them.
The Puerto Rican Centre for Investigative Journalism leaked the texts on July 8. The ensuing controversy, dubbed TelegramGate, has now resulted in Rosselló stepping down from his post as governor.
Two weeks from the leaks, more than 500,000 people — roughly 15 per cent of Puerto Rico’s population — were estimated to have filled streets and blocked highways across Puerto Rico, demanding that Rosselló step down.
What broke the camel’s back was that Rosselló’s advisors had joked about the casualties from Hurricane Maria — where up to 2,975 people were estimated to have died — asking whether there were not already enough bodies for the ‘crows’ (a term used for critics of his government) to feed on.
The ensuing protests were the largest on the island since the Navy-Viques protests in 1999-2000, that led to the US Navy ceasing its live firing exercises in Puerto Rico. Protestors gathered in front of the governor’s mansion in San Juan, calling for his resignation. US President Donald Trump even chimed in, calling Rosselló a ‘terrible governor’ and claiming that the US gave Puerto Rico $92 billion that ended up in the hands of ‘terrible and corrupt’ people.
Rosselló finally caved on Facebook Live, announcing his resignation just before midnight on July 24. After delivering the message, he stepped out to address the crowds that had gathered outside to see him quit, telling them, “The demands have been overwhelming and I've received them with highest degree of humility.” He is a member of the New Progressive Party, which among other things, promises statehood for Puerto Rico.
His successor would normally be the secretary of state, however, Luis Rivera Marn was among the first officials to resign in the wake of the leaks. The governorship will, therefore, be awarded to Justice Secretary Wanda Vzquez, who will become Puerto Rico’s first female governor.
Rosselló’s resignation is not yet formally completed, and the proceedings for a transition must begin. While protestors have celebrated his resignation, there remains uncertainty over the future of the island — which is in the 12th year of a recession, with nearly $70 billion worth of debt and up to 40 per cent of its population in a state of poverty. The island never fully recovered from Hurricane Maria, with the state yet to receive the bulk of the $42.5 billion that Congress has allocated as a relief measure.
