>> Sreenivasan: FOR MORE ON
PUERTO RICO, I'M JOINED NOW BY
"WASHINGTON POST" REPORTER
ARELIS HERNANDEZ VIA SKYPE.
SO TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
WHAT WAS THE TIPPING POINT, WHY
DID THESE PROTESTS EMERGE
THIS WEEK?
>> SO PUERTO RICO HAS BEEN GOING
THROUGH QUITE A BIT OF DRAMA
HISTORICALLY IN THE LAST SEVERAL
YEARS, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH
HAVING TO DO TWO YEARS AGO WITH
HURRICANE MARIA.
SO THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF
SUFFERING ACCUMULATED.
BUT WHAT REALLY SORT OF TIPPED
THE SCALES FOR FOLKS WAS A
SERIES OF LEAKED TEXTS THAT CAME
THROUGH THE LOCAL INVESTIGATIVE
JOURNALISM HERE IN PUERTO RICO
IN WHICH SEVERAL JOKES WERE MADE
BETWEEN THE GOVERNOR RICARDO
ROSSELLO AND MEMBERS OF HIS
INNER CIRCLE, WHICH INCLUDE
LOBBYISTS AND FRIENDS AND
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS JOKING
ABOUT VARIOUS THINGS, AMONG THEM
THE CADAVERS OF PEOPLE WHO HAD
DIED DURING HURRICANE MARIA AND
THE BODIES SORT OF PILING UP IN
THE MORGUE.
THEY JOKED ABOUT THAT, AND THAT
IN AND OF ITSELF IS WHAT SET
PEOPLE OFF.
>> Sreenivasan: AND THIS WAS
RIGHT ON THE HEELS ON AN F.B.I.
INVESTIGATION WHERE THERE WERE
ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SOME OF
HIS, WHAT, MEMBERS OF THE
INNER CIRCLE?
>> RIGHT, NO, HE ACTUALLY HAD TO
END HIS EUROPEAN VACATION EARLY
AND COME BACK TO PUERTO RICO
BECAUSE TWO TOP MEMBERS,
INCLUDING THE EDUCATION
SECRETARY, WERE INDICTED AND
ARRESTED BY THE F.B.I.
ON CORRUPTION CHARGES, INCLUDING
MONEY LAUNDERING.
BASICALLY THEY ARE BEING ACCUSED
OF HAVING STEERED BILLIONS...
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FEDERAL
AID TO SPECIFIC PREFERRED
CANDIDATES IN CONTRACTS.
>> Sreenivasan: YOU MENTIONED
HURRICANE MARIA, AND YOU HAVE
BEEN REPORTING ON THIS EVER
SINCE THE STORM.
BUT YOU JUST WERE OUT THERE
REPORTING OVER THIS PAST
WEEK AND YOU WERE TALKING TO
PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T HAVE POWER
OR WATER FOR MONTHS.
>> YEAH, NO, I THINK THAT'S
PART OF WHAT HAS UPSET PEOPLE SO
MUCH IS THAT TO SEE, SORT OF
HAVE A REAL LOOK AT WHAT THE
GOVERNOR AND HIS INNER CIRCLE
WERE THINKING AND TALKED ABOUT
WHILE PEOPLE WERE SUFFERING IN
PUERTO RICO.
AND TO THEM IT'S AN INDIFFERENCE
TO THEIR SUFFERING.
>> Sreenivasan: TELL ME A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT WHAT SORT OF SUPPORT
NOW THAT THE GOVERNOR STILL HAS.
BECAUSE HERE ON THE MAINLAND WE
ARE SEEING LOTS OF DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES AND
OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PARTY
DISTANCING THEMSELVES FROM HIM.
>> RIGHT, THE GOVERNOR RIGHT NOW
HAS VERY LITTLE SUPPORT ACROSS
PUERTO RICO FROM POLITICS TO
BUSINESS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
CALLING FOR HIM TO RESIGN,
MEMBERS OF HIS OWN PARTY,
JENNIFFER GONZALEZ, WHO'S
THE RESIDENT COMMISSIONER, WHICH
IS PUERTO RICO'S REPRESENTATIVE
IN THE HOUSE, BASICALLY ASKED
HIM TO RESIGN ALSO THIS WEEK.
I'M GUESSING HIS FAMILY IS STILL
BEHIND HIM.
HE STILL HAS A FEW SUPPORTERS IN
THE PARTY, BUT THE LEGISLATURE
RIGHT NOW IS ACTIVELY LOOKING
AT IMPEACHMENT.
>> Sreenivasan: OKAY, SO THERE'S
A CATCH HERE, BECAUSE IF HE DOES
RESIGN THE SECOND IN LINE IS
THE SECRETARY OF STATE, BUT THAT
PERSON IS ALSO RESIGNED AFTER
THESE CHATS.
>> YES, THE SECRETARY OF
STATE WAS A PART OF THIS CHAT
ROOM, THIS FRAT BOY CLUB THAT
SOME PEOPLE HAVE CALLED IT OUT
HERE.
AND HE... IT'S UNCLEAR IF HE
STILL IN HIS POST BUT HE
BASICALLY RESIGNED SO IF
ROSSELLO WERE TO DOWN OR IF HE
WERE TO BE IMPEACHED RIGHT NOW
THERE IS NO CLEAR SUCCESSOR.
>> Sreenivasan: OKAY, SO YOU
DON'T HAVE A CLEAR SUCCESSOR
EVEN IF THERE IS A RESIGNATION.
YOU STILL HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE
TRYING TO RECOVER FROM THE
STORM, ALL OF THE AID HAS NOT
ALREADY MADE IT TO PUERTO
RICO, RIGHT?
>> RIGHT, NO, PUERTO RICO IS AT
A TURNING POINT.
THIS IS A MOMENT OF CRISIS FOR I
AM GOING TO SAY COUNTRY BECAUSE
THAT IS HOW FOLKS DESCRIBE
PUERTO RICO AS A U.S. TERRITORY.
BUT IT'S A MOMENT WHERE FOLKS
ARE REALLY STARTING TO CALL IN
ALL THE GRIEVANCES THAT THEY
HAVE BEEN ENDURING FOR YEARS.
>> Sreenivasan: FROM PUERTO
RICO, "WASHINGTON POST" REPORTER
ARELIS HERNANDEZ, THANK YOU
SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.