"The interpretations that were published today correspond to vicious attacks that seek to attack our integrity," Vázquez said in the statement posted to Twitter, which was originally written in Spanish. "The interpretation that has been given to these matters is false and defamatory."
SOURCE: USA Today
When Vázquez became secretary of justice, she faced criticism for not being aggressive enough in investigating corruption within the New Progressive Party, of which she and Rosselló are both members.
"There are documents coming out now showing she did not investigate," school teacher Miriam Melendez told USA Today. "She was not ethical."
However, her office did lead a probe into the office of Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz following allegations of corruption. The investigation resulted in the federal indictment of a senate official for submitting fake invoices at the benefit of Rivera's political allies.
What then ensued was a heated public battle between the justice secretary and senate president, where, at one point, Rivera called Vázquez "the secretary of nothing," the New York Times reported.
A complaint was filed against her with Puerto Rico's Office of Government Ethics. Prompted by his public disapproval of the justice secretary, the Office of the Independent Special Prosecutor, which Rivera is believed to run, launched an investigation following the complaints.
The probe, which took place last November, looked into allegations that the justice secretary had improperly intervened in a case involving her daughter and son-in-law, in which a suspect stole government property from their home, CBS News reported.
While Vázquez was indicted and appeared in court on charges including two violations of a local government ethics law, the judge found that there was not enough evidence to arrest her. She became the first secretary of justice to face criminal charges, according to El Nuevo Día, a daily publication in Puerto Rico.
Vázquez's husband also came under legal scrutiny at one point when it became known that he also meddled in the case, but he was cleared of any ethical violation.
Prior to being appointed by Rosselló as Secretary of Justice in January 2017, Vazquez worked as an attorney specializing in domestic and sexual violence and led the Office of Women's Affairs since 2010.
However, she drew criticism from women's rights activists for her "lack of commitment to the protection of human rights," according to Telemundo, for maintaining her silence amid the rise of gender-based violence on the island.
Women's groups urged the governor's administration to declare a state of emergency, and even orchestrated a sit-in outside his office.
"A lot of feminist groups were very critical of Wanda Vázquez," Saadi Rosado, who works with the advocacy group the Feminist Collective, told the Times. "She failed to address gender violence issues and was another piece of government bureaucracy."
Eduardo Garcia told USA Today that, like the other politicians that have been ousted, he also believes Vázquez is corrupt.
"She's a justice secretary who won't prosecute anybody from the party in power," he said. "She's not going to last a week and a half."
Carlos A. Suárez Carrasquillo, a Puerto Rican lecturer at the University of Florida noted to USA Today that "there is significant opposition to her," echoing Garcia's belief that she will not be in office long.
"Vázquez is unlikely to stay as a permanent governor," Suárez said. "Especially if accusations keep piling up and protest against her continue and pick up steam."
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