Politics

Ocasio-Cortez Calls For Embattled Puerto Rico Governor To Resign, Won’t Do The Same For Maduro

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted calls on Friday and Saturday for the resignation of embattled Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló.

Ocasio-Cortez called for Americans to “stand with la isla” in a Friday tweet, demanding Rosselló’s resignation.

“The people of Puerto Rico have spoken loudly and clearly for the world to hear,” she tweeted. “We must stand with la isla. Rosselló must resign.”

Citing numerous protests both in Puerto Rico and across the United States, Ocasio-Cortez again tweeted support for the Puerto Rican people Saturday and repeated their calls for Rosselló to resign.

“A remarkable testament to the creativity, resilience & power of the people of Puerto Rico. Jet skis, horses, pots, pans, & body paint – this isn’t about people making something from nothing. It’s about the people discovering the power they’ve always had ????????⬇️ #RickyRenuncia,” she tweeted.

The freshman Democrat is not alone in her stance, as Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott has also joined the calls for Rosselló’s resignation, saying, “It’s clear that the current leadership has lost the confidence of the people of Puerto Rico.”

But the situation in Puerto Rico may be the only one on which Ocasio-Cortez and Scott agree. While the people of Venezuela have struggled under the oppressive regime of dictator Nicolás Maduro, only Scott has called on him to resign — and done so often and repeatedly.

Ocasio-Cortez has been asked on several occasions whether she would condemn the Maduro regime, which has retained power while the Venezuelan people suffer through blackouts and food shortages. (RELATED: AOC Doesn’t Denounce Maduro, Says It’s A ‘Complicated’ Situation)

While claiming that she would stand with the people of Venezuela, she argued against any American intervention and stopped short of expressly condemning Maduro’s regime or calling for his resignation.

Through it all, Maduro’s surrogates have maintained a stranglehold on the people, refusing to even allow humanitarian aid to reach those who need it most. Rosselló, in contrast, will be up for reelection in 2020 — giving the people of Puerto Rico the chance to resolve the situation democratically.