Puerto Rican Justice Department Summons All Involved in Governor Chat Scandal - Reports

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) Puerto Rico's Department of Justice has issued summons to all involved in leaks of offensive chat messages between Governor Ricardo Rossello and his associates, media reported.

The US territory has been swept by angry protests this week demanding Rossello's immediate resignation after leaked messages revealed disparaging remarks the governor made including homophobic and misogynistic comments about political rivals and journalists. The offensive messages were found among almost 900 pages of chats from Rossello's Telegram Messenger obtained by Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism over the weekend.

Puerto Rican Justice Department spokeswoman Mariana Cobian said the agency issued summons to 11 participants in the scandal including, CNN reported on Wednesday.

The chat group members, who also include members of the governor's Cabinet. will face investigating officials over the next three days and their cell phones will be checked out, Cobian said according to the report.

The popular protests calling for Rossello's resignation were expected to continue for the third day in a row on Wednesday, the CNN report said.

Additional protests were also being prepared on Wednesday in Miami, Orlando, Florida, and at New York's Union Square.

On Tuesday, several hundred people gathered outside the Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration in Washington calling for Rossello to resign.

Despite the clashes and protests, Rossello on Monday said he would not step down.