Puerto Rico governor apologizes to 'the people I have offended' over profane private messages

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello is apologizing after coming under fire following the leak of a profane private chat.

The governor in a news conference on Thursday said he is "a human being who has his faults" and that "I ask for forgiveness" for the leaked private chat, in which he called former New York City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito a "whore," The Associated Press reports. He tried to offer something of an excuse for the leaked exchanges by saying he was working for 18 hours before sending them, although he said that "none of this justifies the words I've written" and offered "my apologies to all the people I have offended."

Rossello in the exchanges also told an oversight board to "go f— yourself," adding a series of middle finger emojis, AP notes. It hasn't been a great week for Rossello, with this conference coming after several former members of his administration were arrested as part of a corruption probe. Mark-Viverito earlier this week had slammed Rossello in a statement, saying that anyone who "uses that language against a woman ... should not govern Puerto Rico."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up