Puerto Rico's New Governor Helped Plunge the Island Into Crisis

[Judi Lynn]

Puerto Rico interim Gov. Pedro Pierluisi answers questions during a press conference on his first day in the governor's mansion on August 2, 2019, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
ANGEL VALENTIN / GETTY IMAGES

BY
Abner Dennis, Eyes on the Ties
PUBLISHED
August 5, 2019

As Pedro Pierluisi attempts to assume the governorship of Puerto Rico, many questions are swirling about the constitutionality of his appointment. Amidst all the confusion of a constitutional crisis, his recent career as a lawyer and lobbyist has not gotten the attention it deserves.

Now, an examination of invoices that came to light during Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy proceedings have allowed the Public Accountability Initiative to begin to map out his work with the law firm O’Neill & Borges since 2017, and the web of conflicts of interest that emerge from it.

Pierluisi is revealed in the newly uncovered documents as a figure whose advocacy for the Puerto Rican people was hopelessly undermined by his financial links with the same corporate interests that fueled Puerto Rico’s plunge into indebtedness and austerity.

These conflicts of interest raise questions about his ethics and judgment as a lobbyist and lawyer, and about his fitness to serve on behalf of the public at all.

More:
https://truthout.org/articles/puerto-ricos-new-governor-helped-plunge-the-island-into-crisis/



Last President, Ricardo Rosselló, and Pedro Pierluisi



(At whom is the dipstick pointing?)

Bonus video which comes just after the Al Jolson/Pedro Pierluisi song: