The US territory has been swept by angry protests this week demanding Rossello’s immediate resignation after leaked messages revealed disparaging remarks the governor made, including homophobic and misogynistic comments about political rivals and journalists. The offensive messages were found among almost 900 pages of chats from Rossello’s Telegram Messenger app obtained by Puerto Rico’s Centre for Investigative Journalism over the weekend.
Puerto Rican Justice Department spokeswoman Mariana Cobian said the agency issued summons to 11 persons implicated in the scandal, CNN reported on Wednesday.
The chat group includes members of the governor’s Cabinet, who will face investigating officials over the next three days and have their cell phones investigated, Cobian said, according to the report.
Popular protests calling for Rossello’s resignation were expected on Wednesday to continue for the third day in a row, according to CNN.
Additional protests were being prepared on Wednesday in the cities of Miami and Orlando in Florida, as well as at New York's Union Square.
On Tuesday, several hundred people gathered outside the Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration in Washington calling for Rossello to resign.
Despite the clashes and protests, Rossello on Monday said he would not step down.