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Thursday, February 17, 2011

Statement of Congressman Pedro Pierluisi on the Actions of Congressman Luis Gutierrez

“Yesterday, a very unfortunate event took place in the U.S. Congress. Congressman Luis Gutierrez attacked the good name of Puerto Rico and its institutions on the floor of the House of Representatives.

The message delivered by this colleague of Puerto Rican descent was completely inappropriate, and I hope it is never repeated. However, if it happens again, you can be assured that I will use all the resources at my disposal to defend our people. After all, the only member of Congress who represents Puerto Rico is the Resident Commissioner. The very least I expect from any colleague who purports to speak on behalf of my people is to have the decency to share their concerns with me . . . before they raise the issue on the House floor.

To compare Puerto Rico to totalitarian and dictatorial governments in other parts of the world shows a lack of respect for our people and is grossly inaccurate. Puerto Rico is a beacon of democracy, free expression and a free press. Just because there have been regrettable incidents, which I myself have denounced, does not provide justification to use Congress as a forum to attack our democratic traditions.

In Puerto Rico, as in any other American jurisdiction, the First Amendment applies and we have federal and state courts that safeguard our rights. To add insult to injury, Congressman Gutierrez used his position to attack the chief federal judge of the District Court of Puerto Rico, simply because he disagreed with one of his decisions.

Yesterday, Puerto Rico was portrayed in a false and negative light in the U.S. Congress. Today, I set the record straight.”