Wanda Vazquez, who is poised become Puerto Rico governor, is already facing heat before even taking office: Here's why

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Wanda Vazquez, who is poised become Puerto Rico governor, is already facing heat before even taking office: Here's why

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Wanda Vazquez

Reuters

Puerto Rico's Secretary of Justice Wanda Vazquez attends a news conference in an undated still image from file video in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

  • After embattled Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rosselló announced his resignation, the woman named as his successor, Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez, began facing heat from protesters.
  • Critics claim Vázquez deliberately delayed investigations into members of her own party, improperly intervened in a case involving alleged theft of government property, and didn't prioritize the needs of women on the island.
  • In tandem with the trending hashtag #RickyRenuncia, calls for Vázquez's resignation began trending on Twitter under the hashtag #WandaRenuncia.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Ricardo Rosselló, the embattled sitting governor of Puerto Rico, announced his impending resignation from office on Wednesday night. Though he doesn't leave office until August 2, his named successor, Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez, is already facing heat from protesters.

In tandem with the trending hashtag #RickyRenuncia, calls for Vázquez's resignation began trending on Twitter under the hashtag #WandaRenuncia.

Massive protests, which began two weeks ago after the leak of Rossello's misogynistic and homophobic text messages, resumed the day after he announced he was stepping down from office. But this time, they were aimed at Vázquez.

"I was here until about 2 a.m., and when they said through the megaphone that Wanda would be the one to take over, everybody started saying 'No' and immediately started yelling, 'Wanda resign,'" Yomarili Rosa, who protested Wednesday outside La Fortaleza, the governor's mansion, told USA Today.

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Read more: Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló is expected to resign after his leaked text messages prompted massive protests on the island

Rosselló said he would step down from his position by 5 p.m. local time on August 2. Per the line of succession in Puerto Rico, the next-in-line should technically be the Secretary of State Luis Rivera Marín. However, Marín resigned on July 13 after the Center of Investigative Journalism (CPI), an investigative news outlet in Puerto Rico, published 889 pages of messages between Marín, Rosselló, and other officials revealing lewd exchanges about women and mocking their constituents.

Vázquez, who would become the island's second female governor, responded to the release of the messages, saying in a statement that she recognized "the frustrations and pressures of the day-to-day can be expressed in an incorrect way within the privacy of a friendship."

"I have to express the deep regret this causes me as a woman, as a mother, as a professional and as a citizen of this beautiful island," she continued in the statement. She was not among the 11 top aids that exchanged profanity-laced messages with Rosselló about other politicians, the media, and celebrities.

Here's why people are protesting Vázquez:

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She was accused of dragging her feet on an investigation into questionable licensing of medical marijuana clinics in Puerto Rico. She responded via Twitter on Thursday, saying that the issue is "currently under active investigation" by her department.

She was accused of dragging her feet on an investigation into questionable licensing of medical marijuana clinics in Puerto Rico. She responded via Twitter on Thursday, saying that the issue is "currently under active investigation" by her department.

"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

She was criticized for delaying investigations into members of her own party, the New Progressive Party.

She was criticized for delaying investigations into members of her own party, the New Progressive Party.

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.

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Vázquez was charged for improperly intervening in a case involving her daughter and son-in-law after an alleged theft of government property occurred in their home. She was later cleared due to lack of evidence.

Vázquez was charged for improperly intervening in a case involving her daughter and son-in-law after an alleged theft of government property occurred in their home. She was later cleared due to lack of evidence.

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.

Vazquez was accused of not prioritizing the needs of women on the island.

Vazquez was accused of not prioritizing the needs of women on the island.

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."

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People are calling for Vazquez's resignation amid accusations of corruption.

People are calling for Vazquez's resignation amid accusations of corruption.

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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