Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said he will “punch the bully in the mouth” if the White House tries to bully him.
“If the bully gets close, I’ll punch the bully in the mouth. It would be a mistake to confuse courtesy with courage,” Rossello told CNN regarding the disaster relief efforts still needed on the island following Hurricane Maria in fall 2017.
Aides for Puerto Rico’s governor said the White House warned them Wednesday that representatives of the U.S. territories were pushing too hard to discuss the island’s situation.
According to the officials from Puerto Rico, senior U.S. officials, including White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, came close to threatening representatives of the island.
“You guys have to fucking stop with the meeting request,” the Puerto Rico officials said one U.S. official said, adding that Navarro said, “Your governor is fucking things up.”
The interaction between Puerto Rican officials and the White House happened just before House lawmakers introduced legislation that would make Puerto Rico the 51st state of the U.S.
Puerto Rico statehood has wide support, but the situation is complicated because of conflicts over the handling of Hurricane Maria federal funds and assistance after it devastated the island.
