"It was shameful": Puerto Rico's embattled governor responds to scandal

(CBS) - Puerto Rico's embattled Governor Ricardo Rosselló apologized for his role in a vulgar group chat that included profane, homophobic and sexist comments in questions Tuesday from CBS News' David Begnaud. Rosselló continued to insist he is trying to "move forward" after his office has been rocked by the high-profile corruption arrests and escalating protests over the chat, which has led to the resignations of several government officials on the chat. 

"No, it's not business as usual, I recognize that this is a big hit, and I'm working to remediate it," he said on Tuesday from San Juan. "I don't think it's business as usual, however I do have to operate the business of running government. And that is what I'm doing and that is what I'd like to communicate to the people of Puerto Rico and anybody who's watching." 

A political crisis has swept the Caribbean island — home to approximately 3.2 million U.S. citizens — since a non-profit journalism group, Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism, published a trove of messages in which Rosselló and his top lieutenants mocked political opponents, talked about retaliating against journalists and made sexist and homophobic remarks. The scandal prompted the resignation of several officials in the messaging group, including his secretary of state and chief financial officer, and the governor is trying to quell the fallout and save his political career.

Read the full story at CBSNEWS.com


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