Rivera Schatz: ‘The aggressor’ is the governor’s chief of staff.

Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz

Verbal sparring between González Colón, Senate president shows little sign of letting up

By THE STAR STAFF

Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz on Monday rejected being labeled an “aggressor” by Gov. Jenniffer González Colón. “She refers to the [La Fortaleza] chief of staff [Francisco Domenech Fernández] -- someone who ‘was’ indeed an aggressor, and who assaulted Verónica Ferraiuoli -- as the chief of staff. And Verónica Ferraiuoli told the Puerto Rico Police that he tore her underwear, assaulted her, and broke her phone,” Rivera Schatz said during a brief exchange with journalists at the Capitol. “So, she applies the title of chief of staff to a person who was, in fact, an aggressor. I have never been accused of assaulting anyone.”

Regarding the governor’s allegation that Rivera Schatz never attends the meetings she convenes, he replied: “That is not correct. As for the meetings we ‘have’ attended … The fact is, she always arrives late -- you all know that. So yes, if she expects people to wait for her for two hours while she makes her arrival, she cannot harbor such an expectation, because those of us who actually have work to do must fulfill our duties.”

Another allegation the governor has leveled against the Senate president is that his criticisms stem from his own interest in running for governor in the next election cycle.

“First of all, I appreciate the governor extending the invitation to me; however, I have stated that I am not a candidate for anything -- that this is not the time for candidacies,” Rivera Schatz said. “So, if the governor turns out to be the winning option for the NPP, well, we shall see. If she is not, well, we shall see about that, too. Thus, once again: I am neither desperate, nor do I have any particular agenda, nor am I in any hurry whatsoever. The public will evaluate all the candidates put forward by every political party, and we shall see how things unfold.”

Regarding the allegation that Rivera Schatz is obstructing the administration’s agenda, his reaction was as follows: “I believe the governor is entitled to whatever opinion she wishes to hold, and the people of Puerto Rico can look at the record. Nearly 100 percent of the appointments have been approved -- with the exception of those involving issues with tax filings or other complications. Furthermore, close to 80 percent of the administration’s bills -- both programmatic and non-programmatic -- have already been addressed. The only two bills that were rejected were measures that did not form part of the government’s official platform: specifically, the bill regarding La Parguera and the one concerning off-road vehicles. Therefore, she may hold whatever opinion she chooses, but the numbers and the data are there for anyone who wishes to review them.”

After the governor described Rivera Schatz a day earlier as “an aggressor” and compared him to the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Iran, he wasted little time responding via the social media platform X.

“They can say whatever they want -- criticize, question, and insinuate -- but no one can deny that our Governor is always right, is doing well, is very well advised, and is tender and affectionate! Rivera Schatz wrote. “Francisco Domenech is the best witness! We are lucky!”

During a press conference in Camuy, González Colón referred to the Senate leader as “someone who attacks me every day -- the very person who is supposed to be my political ally turns into my primary aggressor on a daily basis.”

“So, I believe the public needs to see that,” she said. “And I think this is evident: he will continue with his criticism every day; he will continue with his comments every day because he is driven by his ambition -- his run for the governorship -- to which he has every right. But that is still three years away.”

The governor also criticized the request for information that the Senate issued regarding former justice secretary Antonio Sagardía de Jesús.

“I am deeply concerned that the document which was approved requests the tax returns of individuals who speak critically of someone,” she said. “Because all of this is happening simply because attorney Sagardía made some remarks on the radio that the Senate president did not like [...] If they were to do that to any of you journalists -- demanding your tax returns, your personal income records, or the personal income records of the political opposition -- that would be unacceptable. This is not Venezuela; this is not Cuba; this is not Iran.”