Open Letter to Douglas Leff: Go hang your primitive propaganda noodles on your Jibaros' ears, not mine!
"Ye shall know them by their fruits" - Matthew 7:16
Me zinkz zat you can eazily recognize the personalities of the FBI agents, informants, and their hand in their various projects and actions by these two most distinguishing traits: vulgarity and stupidity. They became the "familial" traits for them, for all the ontogenetic reasons. - Michael Novakhov - 10:35 AM 7/27/2019
To Puerto Rico FBI chief Douglas Leff:
Go hang your primitive propaganda noodles on your Jibaros' ears, not mine! - 9:34 AM 7/27/2019
M.N.: Mr. Leff, what is going on?!
I called for the Congressional Investigations of these very puzzling events. You can read this here and in many, many other places - search for it:
Me zinkz zat you can eazily recognize the personalities of the FBI agents, informants, and their hand in their various projects and actions by these two most distinguishing traits: vulgarity and stupidity. They became the "familial" traits for them, for all the ontogenetic reasons. - Michael Novakhov - 10:35 AM 7/27/2019
To Puerto Rico FBI chief Douglas Leff:
Go hang your primitive propaganda noodles on your Jibaros' ears, not mine! - 9:34 AM 7/27/2019
I called for the Congressional Investigations of these very puzzling events. You can read this here and in many, many other places - search for it:
7:03 AM 7/27/2019 – “Officials said there was no evidence that Keleher or Ávila-Marrero had personally benefited from the scheme…” M.N.: Then why were they arrested? This story is very unclear, and I just feel Trump’s fascist hand in it.
Are you able to provide some reasonable explanations that make sense?
So far I did not see them from you, and you are one of the key figures in these events. I think that you and the San Juan branch of the FBI should be investigated very thoroughly, to your utmost depths, if such a phenomenon ("DEPTH") is present in those entities.
Hang your primitive propaganda noodles on your Jibaros' ears, not mine.
Write an article, providing some reasonable explanations, and publish it. I will keep you under my microscope, and I will study you very carefully, you can be sure of this.
Michael Novakhov
8:54 AM 7/27/2019
P.S.: Investigate Douglas Leff and the entire San Juan branch of FBI for their very likely complicity and/or roles in
the
P.S.: Investigate Douglas Leff and the entire San Juan branch of FBI for their very likely complicity and/or roles in
the
_____________________________
7:03 AM 7/27/2019
M.N.: Would you believe that this lady, without any history of legal or financial problems, started to scheme to defraud the Government immediately on her arrival to Puerto Rico? I do not.
It is much more likely that the Puerto Ricans committed the crime against her. How and why, that’s the question. Investigate this in depth!
“Officials said there was no evidence that Keleher or Ávila-Marrero had personally benefited from the scheme…” M.N.: Then why were they arrested? This story is very unclear, and I just feel Trump’s fascist hand in it.
Keleher’s arrest was the first step to Coup D’Etat and Governor Rossello’s Resignation. Did the local FBI carry out Trump’s orders? All this has to be investigated very carefully by the INDEPENDENT CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATORS. I, personally, do not trust the local, San Juan branch, at all: they have to be investigated themselves, and very carefully. And I trust the central FBI even less: it is completely rotten, sick, Nazi-Mobster organization, which destroys America from within, as I expressed this opinion many times previously. There is something very fishy here, and it is way beyond just Pesquera’s fishing expeditions.
The very thorough investigations of the San Juan FBI branch, most likely corrupt to their bones and criminal, is long ignored and it is long overdue, just like the investigations in depth of all the other local power structures.
Jibaros, wake up and face these liars and oppressors. Do your home work, and try to understand what is what, before you are sent to these “demonstrations” for the little shiny treacherous pennies.
I think I will start writing letters:
U.S. Congress:
Investigate!
Governor Rossello’s Resignation!
Investigate!
Puerto Rico Coup D’Etat of July 2019
Investigate!
the arrest Of Julia Keleher!
Investigate!
Julia Keleher relations with Betsy DeVos and their implications on this affair!
These are very serious matters. We do not know enough about them, and we still do not know the truth.
Michael Novakhov
7:24 AM 7/27/2019
P.S.: The letters were sent today to Senator Shumer and Representatives Nadler and Schiff. – M.N. – 8:33 AM 7/27/2019
_______________________________
7:03 AM 7/27/2019
M.N.: Would you believe that this lady, without any history of legal or financial problems, started to scheme to defraud the Government immediately on her arrival to Puerto Rico? I do not.
It is much more likely that the Puerto Ricans committed the crime against her. How and why, that’s the question. Investigate this in depth!
“Officials said there was no evidence that Keleher or Ávila-Marrero had personally benefited from the scheme…” M.N.: Then why were they arrested? This story is very unclear, and I just feel Trump’s fascist hand in it.
Keleher’s arrest was the first step to Coup D’Etat and Governor Rossello’s Resignation. Did the local FBI carry out Trump’s orders? All this has to be investigated very carefully by the INDEPENDENT CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATORS. I, personally, do not trust the local, San Juan branch, at all: they have to be investigated themselves, and very carefully. And I trust the central FBI even less: it is completely rotten, sick, Nazi-Mobster organization, which destroys America from within, as I expressed this opinion many times previously. There is something very fishy here, and it is way beyond just Pesquera’s fishing expeditions.
The very thorough investigations of the San Juan FBI branch, most likely corrupt to their bones and criminal, is long ignored and it is long overdue, just like the investigations in depth of all the other local power structures.
Jibaros, wake up and face these liars and oppressors. Do your home work, and try to understand what is what, before you are sent to these “demonstrations” for the little shiny treacherous pennies.
I think I will start writing letters:
U.S. Congress:
Investigate!
Governor Rossello’s Resignation!
Investigate!
Puerto Rico Coup D’Etat of July 2019
Investigate!
the arrest Of Julia Keleher!
Investigate!
Julia Keleher relations with Betsy DeVos and their implications on this affair!
These are very serious matters. We do not know enough about them, and we still do not know the truth.
Michael Novakhov
7:24 AM 7/27/2019
P.S.: The letters were sent today to Senator Shumer and Representatives Nadler and Schiff. – M.N. – 8:33 AM 7/27/2019
_______________________
| Puerto Rico’s former education secretary, others arrested in federal fraud probe | ||
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| Puerto Rico’s former education secretary, others arrested in federal fraud probe | ||
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s former secretary of education and five other people have been arrested on charges of steering federal money to unqualified, politically connected contractors.
Federal officials said Wednesday that the FBI has arrested former Education Secretary Julia Keleher, former Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration head Ángela Ávila-Marrero, businessman Fernando Scherrer-Caillet and education contractors Glenda E. Ponce-Mendoza and Mayra Ponce-Mendoza, who are sisters. They face 32 counts of money laundering, fraud and other related charges.
FBI director Douglas Leff also confirmed the arrest of businessman Alberto Velázquez-Piñol, who was also indicted, during a press conference Wednesday morning.
According to Leff, Velázquez Piñol went to the sheriff’s office in Connecticut, where he lives, and turned himself in.
The alleged fraud involves $15.5 million in federal funding between 2017 and 2019. Thirteen million was spent by the Department of Education during Keleher’s time as secretary, while $2.5 million was spent by the insurance administration when Ávila was the director.
Keleher, a native of Philadelphia, drew controversy during her two-year tenure as the island’s education secretary. She closed hundreds of schools, citing the realities of a shrinking student population. She also implemented the island’s first charter school, hoping to expand these schools’ presence.
Officials said there was no evidence that Keleher or Ávila-Marrero had personally benefited from the scheme, but Rodríguez said Velázquez Piñol had improperly taken advantage of contacts in the education and health insurance agencies to win federal contracts and illegally used federal money to pay for lobbying.
Glenda E. Ponce-Mendoza worked as Keleher’s assistant and both she and her sister were friends of the former education secretary. Officials said Keleher bypassed regular bidding procedures to steer contracts toward her friends.
“It’s a pity that we see this kind of scheme,” Puerto Rico’s head prosecutor, Rosa Emilia Rodríguez, said at a press conference in San Juan on Wednesday. “It’s a shame because there is a lot to do for Puerto Rico and the people accused here profited from this, they sought to benefit their own personal interests and did not think they could help or that they were in a position to help Puerto Rico … It’s embarrassing.”
The six defendants arrested on Wednesday are could face up to 5 years in prison for conspiracy and up to 20 years for each money laundering and electronic fraud.
“It was alleged that the defendants engaged in a public corruption campaign and profited at the expense of the Puerto Rican citizens and students. This type of corruption is particularly egregious because it not only victimizes tax payers, it victimizes those citizens and students that are in need of educational assistance,” said Neil Sanchez, special agent in charge of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General’s Southern Region.
The accusations come in the wake of multiple Puerto Rican officials, from current and previous administrations, who have also been hit by charges of corruption and misuse of funds.
“This should send a message to all of those individuals an companies that receive federal money through government contracts. This kind of behavior won’t be tolerated,” said José Luis Soto Santiago of the U.S. Department of Health’s Office of Inspector General in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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| Puerto Rico’s former education secretary, others arrested in federal fraud probe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s former secretary of education and five other people have been arrested on charges of steering federal money to unqualified, politically connected contractors.
Federal officials said Wednesday that the FBI has arrested former Education Secretary Julia Keleher, former Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration head Ángela Ávila-Marrero, businessman Fernando Scherrer-Caillet and education contractors Glenda E. Ponce-Mendoza and Mayra Ponce-Mendoza, who are sisters. They face 32 counts of money laundering, fraud and other related charges.
FBI director Douglas Leff also confirmed the arrest of businessman Alberto Velázquez-Piñol, who was also indicted, during a press conference Wednesday morning.
According to Leff, Velázquez Piñol went to the sheriff’s office in Connecticut, where he lives, and turned himself in.
The alleged fraud involves $15.5 million in federal funding between 2017 and 2019. Thirteen million was spent by the Department of Education during Keleher’s time as secretary, while $2.5 million was spent by the insurance administration when Ávila was the director.
Keleher, a native of Philadelphia, drew controversy during her two-year tenure as the island’s education secretary. She closed hundreds of schools, citing the realities of a shrinking student population. She also implemented the island’s first charter school, hoping to expand these schools’ presence.
Officials said there was no evidence that Keleher or Ávila-Marrero had personally benefited from the scheme, but Rodríguez said Velázquez Piñol had improperly taken advantage of contacts in the education and health insurance agencies to win federal contracts and illegally used federal money to pay for lobbying.
Glenda E. Ponce-Mendoza worked as Keleher’s assistant and both she and her sister were friends of the former education secretary. Officials said Keleher bypassed regular bidding procedures to steer contracts toward her friends.
“It’s a pity that we see this kind of scheme,” Puerto Rico’s head prosecutor, Rosa Emilia Rodríguez, said at a press conference in San Juan on Wednesday. “It’s a shame because there is a lot to do for Puerto Rico and the people accused here profited from this, they sought to benefit their own personal interests and did not think they could help or that they were in a position to help Puerto Rico … It’s embarrassing.”
The six defendants arrested on Wednesday are could face up to 5 years in prison for conspiracy and up to 20 years for each money laundering and electronic fraud.
“It was alleged that the defendants engaged in a public corruption campaign and profited at the expense of the Puerto Rican citizens and students. This type of corruption is particularly egregious because it not only victimizes tax payers, it victimizes those citizens and students that are in need of educational assistance,” said Neil Sanchez, special agent in charge of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General’s Southern Region.
The accusations come in the wake of multiple Puerto Rican officials, from current and previous administrations, who have also been hit by charges of corruption and misuse of funds.
“This should send a message to all of those individuals an companies that receive federal money through government contracts. This kind of behavior won’t be tolerated,” said José Luis Soto Santiago of the U.S. Department of Health’s Office of Inspector General in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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| Arrest of Julia Keleher – Google Search | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Web resultsPuerto Rico’s former education secretary, others arrested in federal …
https://www.nbcnews.com/…/puerto-rico-s-former-education-secretary-others-arrested…
Jul 10, 2019 – Puerto Rico’s former secretary of education and five other people have been arrested on charges of steering federal money to unqualified, politically connected contractors.
How a former Delaware educator’s arrest led to protests in Puerto Rico
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2019/07/24/how…/1812872001/
3 days ago – One of those people was Julia Keleher — Puerto Rico’s former secretary of education, a former Red Clay administrator, University of Delaware graduate and Philadelphia native.
Ex-education secretary, 5 others held in Puerto Rico investigation …
https://www.cbsnews.com/…/julia-keleher-ex-education-secretary-others-arrested-frau…
Jul 12, 2019 – San Juan, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s former secretary of education and five other people were arrested Wednesday on charges of steering federal money to unqualified, politically connected contractors, federal officials said.
Former Puerto Rico Education Secretary Arrested on Federal …
https://www.motherjones.com/…/julia-keheher-puerto-rico-education-secretary-corrup…
Jul 10, 2019 – Julia Keleher, the former Puerto Rico Secretary of Education assailed for pushing austerity and privatization measures after Hurricane Maria …
Puerto Rico’s Former Education Secretary Arrested on Fraud Charges …
https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/…k…/Puerto-rico-education-Keleher-arrested.html
Jul 10, 2019 – Julia Keleher, the former education secretary of Puerto Rico, has been arrested by federal agents in Washington on charges related to fraud …
Ex-Education Secretary, 5 Others Arrested On Fraud Charges In …
https://www.huffpost.com/…/ex-education-secretary-5-others-arrested-in-puerto-rico-…
Jul 10, 2019 – Former Education Secretary Julia Keleher was among six Puerto Rican officials accused of steering federal money to unqualified, politically …
Former heads of Puerto Rico Education Dept. and Health Insurance …
https://caribbeanbusiness.com/former-puerto-rico-education-and-health-insurance-secr…
Jul 10, 2019 – … of the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PR DOE), Julia Keleher; the … Keleher, who resigned April 1, was arrested in Washington, D.C., …
A look at the six people indicted by the FBI on corruption charges | El …
https://www.elnuevodia.com/…/alookatthesixpeopleindictedbythefbioncorruptionchar…
Jul 10, 2019 – This morning, U.S. federal agents arrested the former secretary of the Department of Education in Puerto Rico, Julia Keleher, and the former …
Federal Authorities Arrest Former Secretary of Education and Former …
https://www.theweeklyjournal.com/…arrest…/article_cc35fafe-a2fd-11e9-bdb6-97afd46…
Jul 10, 2019 – Also former secretary of Education, Julia Keleher has been arrested today in … The people arrested in Puerto Rico will be brought to the initial …
How a Penn grad and Delco native is tied to Puerto Rico turmoil
https://www.inquirer.com/…/julia-keleher-puerto-rico-protests-governor-resignation-ri…
2 days ago – Julia Keleher was arrested following her resignation as Puerto Rico’s education secretary, contributing to the turmoil on the island.
Exclusive: Ex-Puerto Rico Schools Chief Julia Keleher, Indicted in …
https://www.the74million.org/…/exclusive-ex-puerto-rico-schools-chiefjulia-keleher-i…
Jul 10, 2019 – Updated July 10, 8:50 p.m. Julia Keleher, Puerto Rico’s former education secretary, was arrested Wednesday on charges that she participated …
FBI Arrests Former Top Puerto Rico Officials In Government … – NPR
https://www.npr.org/…/fbi-arrests-former-top-puerto-rico-officials-in-government-corru…
Jul 11, 2019 – The two former Puerto Rico leaders — Julia Keleher, who was the secretary of the island’s department of education before stepping down in …
Arrestan a exsecretaria de Educación Julia Keleher fuera de PR …
https://www.noticel.com/…/arrestan-a…julia-keleher…/1093703142
Jul 10, 2019 – La exsecretaria de Educación, Julia Keleher (Archivo / NotiCel) … FBI arrests former heads of Education and Health Insurance Administration …
Puerto Rico Ex-Officials Accused of Steering $15.5 Million in Contracts …
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/us/puerto-rico-corruption.html
Jul 10, 2019 – Julia Keleher, Puerto Rico’s former education secretary, was arrested along with five others in a sprawling corruption investigation.
Several Puerto Rico government officials arrested, local media reports
https://twitter.com/i/events/1148925815599464448?lang=en
Former director of Health Insurance Administration Ángela Ávila and former Secretary of Education Julia Keleher are among the officials arrested by authorities …
Did Betsy DeVos’s School Choice Program Enable Puerto Rico’s …
https://www.forbes.com/…/did-betsy-devoss-school-choice-program-enable-puerto-ric…
Jul 17, 2019 – Yesterday, the former education secretary of Puerto Rico, Julia Keleher, returned to the island to stand trial after being arrested by the FBI on …
Education Insiders Among FBI Indictments in Puerto Rico – Higher …
https://diverseeducation.com/article/149618/
Jul 13, 2019 – FBI agents this week arrested Julia Keleher, secretary of the island’s department of education before stepping down in April, and Ángela …
Former Rosselló Government Officials Arrested by FBI for Corruption …
https://www.latinorebels.com/2019/07/10/formerrosselloofficialsarrested/
Jul 10, 2019 – … of speculation, the FBI conducted Wednesday arrests of Puerto Rico’s former Secretary the Department of Education (DOE), Julia Keleher, …
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| 6:41 AM 7/27/2019 – Investigate the Investigators, in this case, the investigative journalists: Investigate “Centro de Periodismo Investigativo” and their source of financing, and in their project aimed at Governor Rossello in particular. Who paid for it and for what purpose? Did Trump pay for it? | Trump and Trumpism – Review Of News And Opinions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6:41 AM 7/27/2019Investigate the Investigators, in this case, the investigative journalists:Investigate “Centro de Periodismo Investigativo” and their source of financing, and in their project aimed at Governor Rossello in particular. Who paid for it and for what purpose? Did Trump pay for it?
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| FEMA reinstates manual drawdown process for Puerto Rico – Caribbean Business | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SAN JUAN – The recent corruption indictments related to education and healthcare disaster aid funds for Puerto Rico have led the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reinstate the manual drawdown process for the island as an “additional step to protect the federal investment,” the agency said.
The Puerto Rico government must now receive approval to draw down grant funds for hurricanes Irma and Maria, FEMA said in its published announcement, calling the additional financial controls “necessary and prudent.”
Puerto Rico’s Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3) was notified of the agency’s decision via a letter Thursday to Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, whose resignation takes effect Aug. 2..
In its release, FEMA’s press secretary framed the decision by saying Puerto Rico is “on track to receive a historic level of federal disaster funding” to help rebuild after “the devastating impacts” of hurricanes Irma and Maria.
“Throughout the recovery process, the federal government will continue to be strong stewards of taxpayer dollars. Given the ongoing leadership changes within the Puerto Rican government, combined with continued concern over Puerto Rico’s history of fiscal irregularities and mismanagement, FEMA decided it is prudent to take additional steps to protect its share of the federal investment by reinstating the manual drawdown process,” Lizzie Litzow said.
The manual drawdown process will require the island’s government to submit funding drawdown requests on behalf of municipalities and state agencies before receiving FEMA grant funding. Additionally, the request “must be accompanied with supporting documentation to certify the amount being requested for drawdown is eligible, allowable, reasonable and in alignment with federal procurement regulations,” Litzow added.
I late July, the former secretary of the Puerto Rico Education Department, Julia Keleher; the director of the Health Insurance Administration (ASES by its Spanish acronym), Ángela Ávila; the president of accounting and auditing firm BDO Puerto Rico, Fernando Scherrer, and subcontractor Alberto Velázquez Piñol were arrested after a federal grand jury returned a 32-count indictment.
The indictment also charged Glenda E. Ponce Méndoza, who worked as Keleher’s special assistant despite not being a department employee, and her sister, Mayra Ponce Mendoza, owner of consulting firm Colón & Ponce.
“Both Keleher and Ávila Marrero exploited their privileged positions as heads of agencies in Puerto Rico. Both defrauded the United States government and Puerto Rico in a contract scheme upwards of $15.5 million, $13 million in [the Education] Department and $2.5 million in ASES,” the district attorney said, adding that the conspiracy charges carry a sentence of up to five years, while money laundering and wire fraud charges carry a sentence of up to 20 years.
The 32 charges cover three schemes, two in the Department of Education and one in ASES, that were carried out from 2017 to 2019.
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| 5:31 AM 7/27/2019 – Julia Keleher and Resignation of Governor Rossello: Do we know the whole story? | Trump and Trumpism – Review Of News And Opinions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5:31 AM 7/27/2019Julia Keleher and Resignation of Governor Rossello: Do we know the whole story?All News Review In 25 Saved Stories
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| Epstein’s connection to Les Wexner under close scrutiny | NBC4 WCMH-TV | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COLUMBUS (WCMH) — L Brands CEO Les Wexner’s relationship with financier Jeffrey Epstein continues to come under scrutiny.
The New York Times reports that Wexner was warned in the mid 1990’s that Epstein was presenting himself as a recruiter for Victoria’s Secret models.
Epstein is charged with sex trafficking and having sex with girls as young as 14. He has pleaded not guilty.
Epstein worked as Wexner’s personal finance manager and the two developed a strong relationship. A document on file in Franklin County shows Epstein was given power of attorney over much of Wexner’s financial affairs in 1991.
The board of trustees of L Brands, the company that owns Victoria’s Secret and other brands, has hired an outside law firm to review any role financier Jeffrey Epstein may have played at the retail company.
The company called Epstein’s alleged crimes “abhorrent.” It said in a statement that Epstein’s business association with its founder and CEO Leslie Wexner ended nearly 12 years ago but that it took the matter seriously and so ordered a thorough review.
The company also operates Bath & Body Works. It says it doesn’t believe that it ever employed Epstein or that he ever served as its authorized representative.
Federal prosecutors say Epstein paid underage girls for massages and then molested them at his homes in Florida and New York.
A document filed in a separate but related civil lawsuit describes an incident involving Epstein inside Wexner’s New Albany home.
In a sworn affidavit, Maria Farmer says was hired by Epstein to “help him with acquiring art.” She says Epstein arranged for her to work on an “art project” at the home of Les Wexner on Kitzmiller Rd in the summer of 1996.
The affidavit is included in a defamation lawsuit filed by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre against Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz. Giuffre has alleged she was forced by Epstein to have sex with Dershowitz – a claim Dershowitz vehemently denies.
Farmer says Epstein and a female companion, Ghislaine Maxwell, “asked me to come into a bedroom with them and then proceeded to sexually assault me against my will. I fled from the room and called the sheriff’s office but did not get any response. The Wexner’s security staff refused to let me leave the property. I pleaded with them and my father drove up from Kentucky to Ohio to help me. I was held against my will for approximately twelve hours until I was ultimately allowed to leave with my father.”
A source close to Wexner says the billionaire has no knowledge of the situation that Maria Farmer describes. The source said Wexner severed his ties to Epstein nearly 12 years ago.
Copyright 2019 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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| Lawmakers concerned about a lack of finality to Rosselló’s resignation – Caribbean Business | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SAN JUAN – The decision of the majority New Progressive Party (NPP) in the House of Representatives to end the impeachment of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló left Popular Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers and Puerto Rican Independence Party Rep. Denis Márquez outraged.
Besides the impeachment issue, is the matter of the gubernatorial succession. Given that the governor’s resignation will be official Aug. 2, and he has yet to name a replacement for secretary of State when Luis Rivera resigned, the next in line to take over the governor’s office would be Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez.
However, House Majority Leader Gabriel Rodríguez Aguiló said that it is still possible for Rosselló to name a secretary of State. Minority Leader Rafael “Tatito” Hernández also spoke about the issue, arguing that the governor should select a “person of consensus” to fill the vacancy, thus be who serves as governor for the remaining 17 months of this electoral term.
The main argument for continuing the impeachment process centers around the lack of finality perceived in Rosselló’s resignation letter, as at no point does he state his resignation is “irrevocable” or “final and firm.” Making matters more complicated is the fact impeachment proceedings are unprecedented on the island, with many elements to figure out and organize, and “it’s better to have this type of process ready [and not need it], than need it and not have it,” said Márquez alluding to the common adage.
For his part, Rodríguez Aguiló was not worried about the lack of stronger or more definitive language in the resignation letter because he is confident that if Rosselló backtracks “10 minutes afterward, what’s going to happen is we [the House] will self-convoke to officially start the impeachment of the governor.”
Both Márquez, and PDP Rep. Luis Vega Ramos said the importance of continuing with the impeachment process, rather than suspending it with the possibility of having to resume it later, is there are logistical efforts that need to be untangled.
“Nothing of what this letter said makes academic what we have to do today, which was to receive the letter, wait until August 2 at five in the afternoon and in the meantime constitute the special commission on impeachment, appointing its members and starting the process,” Vega Ramos said after House Speaker Carlos “Johnny” Méndez ended the session.
Méndez concluded the 7-minute session, in which the governor’s resignation was read, saying that now that is was “duly received…this House of Representatives…will ends its work after addressing the corresponding issue for which we were cited. However, making it clear that we can self-convoke to address those issues that are necessary for the wellbeing of the people of Puerto Rico.”
Although Márquez said the possibility of Rosselló withdrawing his resignation was unlikely, he mentioned that Puerto Rico’s Political Code does not address a governor’s resignation and called Rosselló’s behavior erratic.
Rodríguez Aguiló said that for him and his colleagues Rosselló has no credibility but that the letter is enough because, contrary to the video message the governor streamed Wednesday evening, the letter does constitute official protocol.
Regarding the possibility of Rosselló naming a secretary of State, Rodríguez Aguiló, said the Legislature would be open to a last-minute appointment but that it would be wise for Rosselló to seek advice from both legislative chambers.
“The governor, if he is going to act responsibly for one last time with Puerto Rico, he has to consult with the House of Representatives, he has to consult with the Senate of Puerto Ricos to name [the Secretary of State],” Rodríguez Aguiló said.
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| Resignation of Governor Rossello – Google Search | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CNN
Puerto Rico Gov. Rosselló resigns as party president, won’t run for re …
Caribbean Business–Jul 21, 2019
Ricardo Rosselló left the decision regarding his future as governor of … and that he resigned as president of his New Progressive Party (NPP).
Defying Protests, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló of Puerto Rico Says He Will …
In-Depth–The New York Times–Jul 21, 2019 Lawmakers concerned about a lack of finality to Rosselló’s resignation
Caribbean Business–21 hours ago
Ricardo Rosselló left Popular Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers and Puerto Rican … Given that the governor’s resignation will be official Aug.
Puerto Rico’s Governor Is Resigning. But His Successor Worries …
TIME–21 hours ago
Thousands of Puerto Ricans united in protest to demand the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rossellófollowing corruption charges against …
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| Julia Keleher Offered Big Plans to Reform Puerto Rico’s Storm-Battered Schools. She Left Her Post Playing Defense | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Julia Keleher’s tenure as Puerto Rico’s top education official ended just as it began — under intense scrutiny.
Since her confirmation hearing as Puerto Rico’s education secretary, Keleher faced questions that plainly painted the Philadelphia native as an outsider. On several occasions, she was quizzed on Puerto Rican icons, including athletes and authors — people, Keleher acknowledged, she didn’t know. Then came the Twitter hashtag: #JuliaGoHome.
Days after she announced her resignation earlier this month, Keleher faced a similar line of attack while speaking at Yale University. As Keleher spoke at an education conference, a Yale student distributed a letter to attendees with an overarching message: The outgoing secretary will never be Puerto Rican.
Much of the vitriol stems from Keleher’s dramatic attempts to reform the island’s education system. Months after Keleher took the helm of Puerto Rico’s education department, that system was thrust into chaos. In September 2017, Hurricane Maria crashed into Puerto Rico and shuttered the island’s public school system. In the face of tragedy, Keleher often spoke with magniloquence about her big plans to reimagine public education on the island. In an interview after Keleher announced her resignation this month as Puerto Rico’s education secretary, bringing to a close a two-year tenure, she offered up a different persona. This time, Keleher appeared at times combative, at times defeated as she attempted to defend her overtures as secretary.
“People have said to me that Puerto Rico’s status, and the fact that it is a colony, has a lot to do with how I was received,” she said. “It’s very raw and very present for people, so I want to be respectful. But I think it had influence in ways that hurt and didn’t help.”
Indeed, Puerto Rico’s relationship with the mainland U.S. has been contentious for generations. An unincorporated territory of the U.S. since 1898, Puerto Rico has seen its residents long forced to grapple with the reality of colonialism. Hurricane Maria’s destruction furthered the pushes both for Puerto Rican statehood and for independence from the U.S., which some residents say has long neglected the island. In the letter at the Yale conference, Yale student Adriana Colón-Adorno blasted Keleher for referring to Puerto Rico as her “adopted land.”
“Though being Puerto Rican is not just about where you live and the diaspora is an integral part of the community, a fundamental part of the Puerto Rican identity is a deep shared history of struggle and resilience, which you can never be a part of,” Colón-Adorno wrote in the letter to Keleher.
Still, the reforms Keleher implemented after tragedy struck in 2017 would’ve likely been controversial in just about any context. Among grievances, Colón-Adorno disparaged Keleher for closing hundreds of Puerto Rico’s public schools and introducing charter schools.
Keleher said the changes she instituted were necessary to save a system that was in “free fall.” Deep in a financial crisis even before the 2017 storm, Puerto Rico’s education department closed more than a third of its public schools as thousands of residents fled to the U.S. mainland and student enrollment dwindled. With Keleher’s lead, Puerto Rico’s unitary education system was divided into seven regions. Through a sweeping new education law, Keleher ushered in the island’s first charter school, referred to in Puerto Rico as escuelas alianzas, and paved the way for a private school voucher program.
Those reforms faced steep opposition from some on the island and from progressive groups in the contiguous U.S. Upon hearing of Keleher’s resignation, national and local teachers union leaders cheered, accusing the outgoing secretary of treating educators and parents “as a speed bump” and for implementing reforms that “created chaos and instability for the island’s 320,000 schoolchildren.”
After Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, Keleher was quick to compare its situation to that of New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005, officials replaced a battered public school system with one composed almost entirely of charter schools. Students in both school systems had long struggled academically before destruction hit. While reports have found that the reforms led to gains in student performance, the changes were — and remain — deeply fraught. Under Keleher’s lead, school choice made an introduction in Puerto Rico, albeit on a smaller scale.
The disruptor
Keleher paints a different picture of her tenure at the helm of Puerto Rico’s public school system. She arrived, she said, to disrupt a school system that had violated kids’ rights to learn.
When she took over Puerto Rico’s schools in January 2017, schools lacked textbooks. Campuses were threatened by mold and water leaks, she said. Restrooms were filthy. She viewed the entire education bureaucracy as rife with corruption. Access to technology was limited. But the pushback she received, Keleher said, was indefensible.
“The defense of making changes was, ‘You can’t close our schools because it’s a right, our kids have a right to go to these schools. You can’t privatize it because you can’t change the conditions,’” Keleher said. “I don’t know how the bad guy is the one who’s trying to change the thing that’s substandard.”
Of course, Keleher couldn’t have anticipated that a natural disaster would disrupt Puerto Rico’s entire public school system. But she spoke optimistically about her accomplishments as education secretary.
The education department provided local schools with more than a million new books. Schools saw technology upgrades, including new laptops and broadband internet. Additional school nurses were hired and trained to address student trauma. Officials created a new coding program and launched a workforce development initiative.
“We had a clear expectation for what goes into a school: a full faculty, social workers, counselors, librarians, nurses,” she said. “We fixed, I think, the root causes for the problems that created the conditions that kids were going to school under. And really, what you need at that point then is a leader who can just execute. You look at someone from maybe inside the system who has those relationships.”
She said her decision to step down, however, was guided by politics. Though she initially hoped to stay at the education department for a decade “because I know that’s how long it takes” to see results from education reforms, she said she resigned because she didn’t want to deal with the politics of election season.
“When politics starts to become what’s shaping discourse, you know, that’s not what I wanted to get involved in,” she said. “I didn’t want to take a political position, and I didn’t want to be a part of that conversation.”
Initially, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló announced that Eleuterio Álamo, who led the education department’s regional office in San Juan, would serve as interim secretary. But that changed quickly. Instead, the Senate confirmed Eligio Hernández Pérez, a deputy secretary, as the interim chief.
‘Will you be ready?’
The fierce politics that have swirled around Keleher since she took the education secretary post didn’t end with her decision to step down. At first, officials announced she’d become an adviser to the education department with a $250,000 salary. That’s the same salary she was paid as secretary — another point of contention locally. That contract position fizzled within days, however, after local news reports noted that lawmakers were conducting an inquiry into her work as secretary and federal officials were investigating alleged education department contracting irregularities.
Keleher declined to comment on the matter. But this isn’t the first time she’s run into an inquiry by federal officials. In February, news reports indicated that Keleher faced an arrest warrant after the education department failed to provide documents related to a federal fraud investigation dating back to 2011 when Keleher worked at the U.S. Department of Education. That arrest warrant was ultimately lifted, but Keleher implied that the ordeal stemmed from sabotage within her own department. Officials in Puerto Rico’s education department received multiple requests for documents related to the federal investigation, Keleher said, but nobody responded.
“My employees intentionally did not inform me of that requirement to submit. People knew about it but didn’t do it,” Keleher said. Failure to submit the documents, she said, was part of an “attack on me and on the changes that we were trying to implement.”
Keleher is now back home in Washington, D.C., where she said she plans to leverage her experiences to help other education leaders implement change, including those who face steep fiscal crises and need to close schools. Her LinkedIn profile says she’s become an “independent consultant” supporting policies that “produce transformational change.”
If her speech at the Yale education conference is an indicator, she’s already giving out advice on leadership. As the letter criticizing her circulated, she asked the audience how they’d feel if they were in her spot.
“I asked the audience, ‘How would you feel if this letter was about you?’” she said. “’How will you feel when the response to you taking bold action is a letter like this? Will you be ready?’”
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How a Penn grad and Delco native is tied to Puerto Rico turmoil
The Philadelphia Inquirer–19 hours ago
… the island’s political sphere was already in turmoil after two of Rosselló’s former cabinet members — Education Secretary Julia Keleher and …
Ex-education secretary, 5 others held in Puerto Rico investigation
CBS News–Jul 10, 2019
Federal officials said Wednesday morning that former Education Secretary Julia Keleher; former Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration …
Puerto Rico Ex-Officials Accused of Steering $15.5 Million in Contracts …
The New York Times–Jul 10, 2019
Puerto Rico’s former education secretary, others arrested in federal …
International–<a href=”http://NBCNews.com” rel=”nofollow”>NBCNews.com</a>–Jul 10, 2019
Exclusive: Ex-Puerto Rico Schools Chief Julia Keleher, Indicted in …
International–The 74–Jul 10, 2019 Puerto Rico’s Privatizers Are Finally Getting What They Deserve
Jacobin magazine–Jul 16, 2019
Julia Keleher, Puerto Rico’s former secretary of education, exploited the island’s post-hurricane crisis to close hundreds of schools and privatize …
FEMA reinstates manual drawdown process for Puerto Rico
Caribbean Business–3 hours ago
I late July, the former secretary of the Puerto Rico Education Department, Julia Keleher; the director of the Health Insurance Administration …
 Leaked Puerto Rican Leaders’ Messages Include Reference to …
Education Week (blog)–Jul 15, 2019
Ricardo Rosselló and his top officials that include derogatory comments about the teachers’ union president. Julia Keleher, who was appointed …
 Puerto Rico’s week of massive protests, explained
Vox–Jul 20, 2019
The officials, former Education Secretary Julia Keleher and Ángela Ávila-Marrero (former chief of Puerto Rico’s Health Insurance …
Protesters in Puerto Rico Say Their Fight to Oust Governor Rosselló is …
International–Remezcla (blog)–Jul 20, 2019  Julia Keleher se declara no culpable de los cargos federales en su …
El Nuevo <a href=”http://Dia.com” rel=”nofollow”>Dia.com</a>–Jul 16, 2019
La exsecretaria de Educación Julia Keleher se declaró no culpable en los siete cargos criminales en su contra tras llegar esta mañana hasta el …
Así fue la llegada de Julia Keleher al Tribunal Federal
International–Diario Metro de Puerto Rico–Jul 16, 2019  Education Insiders Among FBI Indictments in Puerto Rico
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education–Jul 13, 2019
FBI agents this week arrested Julia Keleher, secretary of the island’s department of education before stepping down in April, and Ángela …
 Audiencia contra Julia Keleher fue a puerta cerrada
El Nuevo <a href=”http://Dia.com” rel=”nofollow”>Dia.com</a>–Jul 10, 2019
Washington – Tras ser acusada de siete cargos criminales, la ex secretaria de Educación de Puerto Rico Julia Keleher compareció esta tarde a …
 Así recibieron a Julia Keleher en el tribunal
NotiCel–Jul 16, 2019
Así recibieron a la exsecretaria de Educación, Julia Keleher, acusada de participar en un esquema de corrupción para desviar fondos …
 Belabored Podcast #180: General Strike in Puerto Rico Gets the …
Dissent (blog)–1 hour ago
One of the officials arrested is Julia Keleher the former education secretary, who was a main target of the island’s teachers unions for her push …
 Likely successor of Puerto Rico’s governor in protesters’ crosshairs
<a href=”http://KoamNewsNow.com” rel=”nofollow”>KoamNewsNow.com</a> (press release) (blog)–15 hours ago
Days before the leaked chats this month, FBI agents arrested two ranking Rosselló officials — including Education Secretary Julia Keleher — for …
 ¿Por qué la vista de Julia Keleher en el Tribunal Federal de …
El Nuevo <a href=”http://Dia.com” rel=”nofollow”>Dia.com</a>–Jul 10, 2019
La razón para que la audiencia inicial de la exsecretaria de Educación Julia Keleher en el Tribunal Federal en Washington D.C. fuera a puerta …
 Defensa Keleher y demás acusados piden tiempo
El Vocero de Puerto Rico–Jul 22, 2019
La defensa del exsocio administrador de BDO Fernando Scherrer y de la exsecretaria de Educación Julia Keleher, entre otros, solicitaron al …
 Julia Keleher: de estrella del gobierno a acusada federeal
El Nuevo <a href=”http://Dia.com” rel=”nofollow”>Dia.com</a>–Jul 10, 2019
El 28 de diciembre de 2016, Día de los Santos Inocentes, una gran mayoría del pueblo de Puerto Rico conoció por primera vez a Julia …
 To dig out of debt and hurricane damage, Puerto Rico must also battle …
New York Daily News–22 hours ago
However, Puerto Rico has a long history of corruption in the government. The island’s former education secretary, Julia Keleher, and Ángela …
 Puerto Rico Governor’s Likely Successor May Not Soothe Protesters …
Voice of America–Jul 25, 2019
Federal investigators this month arrested a handful of officials in a contract-steering probe, including Education Secretary Julia Keleher. Then …
TIME
Interim director of Puerto Rico’s fiscal agency resigns
Caribbean Business–Jul 23, 2019
Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, first lady Beatriz Rosselló and former Education Secretary Julia Keleher, on Aug. 14, 2017 (Courtesy) …
Puerto Rico governor will not seek reelection in 2020 amid firestorm …
In-Depth–ABC News–Jul 21, 2019  As New Political Scandals Engulf Puerto Rico, How Much More Can …
HuffPost–Jul 17, 2019
FBI agents arrested two former top officials ― Julia Keleher, who served as Puerto Rico’s secretary of education until April, and Ángela …
Tens of thousands gather to demand Puerto Rico governor’s resignation
Caribbean Business–Jul 22, 2019
That the same week, the U.S. Department of Justice arrested former Education Secretary Julia Keleherand the director of the Health Insurance …
Stay up to date on results for Julia Keleher.
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| Julia Keleher – Wikipedia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Julia Beatrice Keleher (born November 15, 1974) is an American educational leader and was the 40th Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE), the island’s only public school system with 856 schools, 300,000 students and almost 30,000 teachers. In July 2019, she was arrested by the FBI on charges of fraud and money laundering, among others, in connection to allegations that she redirected over $15 million in federal education funds to personal connections.
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| Quite well fed demonstrators. They are “hungry for the truth and the politically correct (Pro-Trumpian?) vocabulary”. Does it sound credible enough to you? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Big San Juan Show
In my humble opinion, these “investigative leaks” and the demonstrations were absolutely obviously: staged,
pre-orchestrated and pre-planned carefully and artfully filmed and photographed with the distinctive style reported in the arranged and well organised fashion. Does it give you a taste of things to come? Michael Novakhov 8:36 AM 7/26/2019 
M.N.: Comments: Quite well fed demonstrators. They are “hungry for the truth and the politically correct (Pro-Trumpian?) vocabulary”. Does it sound credible enough to you?
Rossello and regime change in Venezuela Oct 9, 2018 – Aggression- Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rossello is hosting Venezuelancounterrevolutionaries for a regime change summit … It would be an error of omission, I think, not to consider the counterintelligence aspect of this affair, and namely the issues around the “regime change” whatever it is, in Venezuela: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ricardo rossello on venezuela – Google Search | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Puerto Rico’s familiar lesson
Newsday–17 hours ago
Ricardo A. Rosselló is a warning that should be heard around the country and … Venezuelans are fleeing famine and poverty and the casual …
 Crisis en Puerto Rico: Ricardo Rosselló renuncia forzado por las …
BBC Mundo–Jul 25, 2019
Ricardo Rosselló anunció este miércoles que renuncia a su cargo como gobernador de Puerto Rico en medio del llamado “escándalo del …
“Triunfamos”: la reacción de los artistas puertorriqueños a la renuncia …
In-Depth–<a href=”http://Infobae.com” rel=”nofollow”>Infobae.com</a>–Jul 25, 2019  Ricky Martin, Luis Fonsi y Residente festejaron la renuncia de Rosselló
CNN–13 hours ago
Luego de que el gobernador de Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, anunciara su renuncia, la cual se hará efectiva el 2 de agosto, miles de …
 Ocasio-Cortez Calls For Embattled Puerto Rico Governor To Resign …
The Daily Caller–Jul 20, 2019
@ricardorossello of Puerto Rico to resign, so has @SenRickScott of … While the people of Venezuela have struggled under the oppressive …
 UN Report Accuses Venezuela’s Special Forces of 1000s of …
Democracy Now!–Jul 16, 2019
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is rejecting the findings of a recent … Calls are mounting for Puerto Rico’s Governor Ricardo Rosselló to …
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| Puerto Rico Journal: I think, that Pesquera is mentally disturbed, and he probably is afflicted with Paranoia. He can be very, almost pathologically vindictive. – M.N. – 11:50 AM 7/26/2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I think, that Pesquera is mentally disturbed, and he probably is afflicted with Paranoia. He can be very, almost pathologically vindictive. – M.N. – 11:50 AM 7/26/2019
 11:53 AM 7/26/2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11:53 AM 7/26/2019 | Trump and Trumpism – Review Of News And Opinions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11:53 AM 7/26/2019 |
Trump and Trumpism – Review Of News And Opinions.
Caribbean Business.
“Resignation of Governor Rossello” – Google News.
NBC4 WCMH-TV.
The San Juan Daily Star Archive Feed.
“Julia Keleher” – Google News.
Puerto Rico News.
“ricardo rossello on venezuela” – Google News.
Puerto Rico Journal.
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