Pedro Pierluisi

Pedro Rafael Pierluisi Urrutia[lower-alpha 2] (born April 26, 1959) is a Puerto Rican attorney, lobbyist,[2] and politician who currently serves as the 14th Governor of Puerto Rico since January 2, 2021.

Pedro Pierluisi
Governor of Puerto Rico
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2, 2021
Preceded by	Wanda Vázquez Garced
In office August 2, 2019 – August 7, 2019 De facto[lower-alpha 1]
Preceded by	Ricardo Rosselló
Succeeded by	Wanda Vázquez Garced
Acting Secretary of State of Puerto Rico
In office July 31, 2019 – August 2, 2019
Preceded by	Luis Rivera Marín
Succeeded by	Elmer Román
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Luis Fortuño
Succeeded by	Jenniffer González
Secretary of Justice of Puerto Rico
In office January 2, 1993 – January 2, 1997
Governor	Pedro Rosselló
Preceded by	Héctor Rivera Cruz
Succeeded by	José Fuentes Agostini
Personal details
Born	Pedro Rafael Pierluisi Urrutia April 26, 1959 San Juan, Puerto Rico
Political party	New Progressive
Other political affiliations	Democratic
Children	4
Relatives	José Jaime Pierluisi † (brother)
Residence	La Fortaleza
Education	Tulane University (BA) George Washington University (JD)

He has previously served as Secretary of Justice from (1993-1997) Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the United States House of Representatives from (2009-2017) and as Acting Secretary of State. Pierluisi was positioned as de facto governor of Puerto Rico from August 2 to August 7, 2019, when the territory's Supreme Court ruled his assumption of office was unconstitutional.[3]

Early life and education

Pierluisi was born on April 26, 1959 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His parents are Jorge Pierluisi Díaz and Doris Urrutia. He attended Colegio Marista of Guaynabo, graduating in 1977. In 1981, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in American History from Tulane University, and later earned a Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University Law School in 1984. He was President of the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association chapter at Tulane University.[4] Later, he was President of the George Washington University International Law Society from 1982–1983. During his studies at George Washington University, Pierluisi interned at the congressional office of then-Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico Baltasar Corrada del Río.[5]

Early political career

Pierluisi first practiced law as a private attorney in Washington, D.C. from 1984 until 1990. Notably, Mr. Pierluisi was one of the lead attorneys representing the government of Peru in its lawsuit against the Hunt brothers, Nelson Bunker, William Herbert, and Lamar for trying to corner the silver market in the late 1970s. The lawsuit resulted in a $180 million damages award for the plaintiff. He then practiced law in Puerto Rico from 1990 until 1993.

In 1993, Governor Pedro Rossello nominated Pierluisi to serve as Puerto Rico's Secretary of Justice. His nomination was unanimously confirmed by the Puerto Rican legislature.

U.S. House of Representatives

On May 18, 2007, Pierluisi announced his candidacy for Resident Commissioner, Puerto Rico's sole delegate to the United States Congress in the November 2008 elections. He accompanied then current Resident Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Luis Fortuño in the March 9, 2008 NPP primary ticket. Fortuño was a classmate at Colegio Marista, a fellow founding member of the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association in 1979, and also a fellow cabinet member of Pierluisi's during Governor Rosselló's first term from 1993–1996.

According to the candidate reports filed before the Federal Elections Commission (FEC),[6] Pierluisi led the other NPP candidates by a ten-to-one margin in fundraising, having raised over $450,000 in 2007, while opponent Charlie Rodriguez had only raised $47,000 and Dr. Miriam Ramírez de Ferrer had not reported any fundraising. He also leads in fundraising among the four candidates to succeed Resident Commissioner Fortuño in the November 4, 2008 general election.

On March 9, 2008, Pierluisi won the primary with 61% of the vote against former Senate President Charlie Rodriguez, who polled 33%, and former Sen. Miriam Ramírez, who obtained 6% of the vote. Pierluisi's running mate, Luis Fortuño, also won the NPP nomination for governor with nearly 60% of primary votes.[7]

On November 4, 2008, he won the post of Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico with over 53% of the vote. He was sworn in on January 6, 2009 by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He was the top vote-getter in the 2012 general elections, when he was reelected to a second four-year term and outpolled his running-mate, then Gov. Luis Fortuño as well as current Gov. Alejandro García Padilla. He had more seniority in the House than the congressman who is 254th on the list of seniority.

Pierluisi is a member of the New Progressive Party in Puerto Rico which advocates statehood for the Island territory. He and former Governor Luis Fortuño, both of the New Progressive Party, beat their rivals by over one million votes - the largest margin of victory for a Resident Commissioner in Puerto Rico's history. While on Capitol Hill, Pierluisi caucused with the House Democratic Caucus.[8] He was the sole representative in Congress of the 3.7 million American citizens who reside on the Island.

As Resident Commissioner, Pierluisi focused most of his congressional efforts on bills related to Puerto Rico. He introduced H.R. 2499, which sought to provide for a plebiscite to be held in Puerto Rico to determine the island's ultimate political status. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives but did not receive a vote in the Senate, and lapsed following the sine die adjournment of the 111th Congress. In a separate bill, H.R. 870, Pierluisi sought to add Puerto Rico to Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code so that the island's government-owned corporations could file for bankruptcy — a privilege they do not enjoy due to the territory's exclusion from the code. The bill was a fallback against the Puerto Rican government-debt crisis, which threatens local agencies that are unable to restructure their debt.

In a move unrelated to H.R. 2499, a political status referendum was held in Puerto Rico on November 6, 2012. 54% of voters expressed their desire for Puerto Rico's political status to be changed. In a separate vote on the same ballot, 61% supported statehood for Puerto Rico. The status referendum was criticized by all political parties, and almost 500,000 blank ballots were cast in protest. Notwithstanding, on May 15, 2013, Pierluisi filed H.R. 2000, a bill to admit Puerto Rico as a state.[9]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Ethics
• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement
• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus

Accusations of conflicts of interest and corruption allegations

Pierluisi was accused of ignoring corruption while he was Secretary of Justice because he had exonerated Senator Freddy Valentín Acevedo from accusations that Valentín had asked top officials at the Department of Natural Resources to wave the fees and fines of associates. Years later, unrelated corruption investigations resulted in Valentin's conviction.[10]

In April 2016, while legislation to deal with Puerto Rico's fiscal crisis was being discussed in the House of Representatives, The New York Times published an article covering possible conflicts of interest involving Pierluisi.[11] The article covers various corporate clients from Pierluisi's wife personal firm who would benefit directly from bills proposed by Pierluisi, specifically those amending Chapter 9 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code. These firms had recently invested in Puerto Rican bonds. In addition, the newspaper established that Pierluisi's wife founded the firm shortly after Pierluisi was sworn into Congress in 2009. In the 8 years since he was elected resident commissioner, Pierluisi's average net worth had increased 27-fold.[12][13]

Allegations have been made regarding Pierluisi's links with the shipping and transportation industry. A federal court ruled against three companies, which had made donations to his campaign, for conspiring to increase transportation fees. Requests for federal investigations on Pierluisi were founded partly on the allegation that his links with shipping companies impact maritime cabotage policy, leading to increased cost of living in Puerto Rico.[14]

Rosselló succession

In late July 2019 the embattled governor, Ricardo Rosselló, nominated Pierluisi to serve as Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. He was additionally sworn into the role as a recess appointment. Rosselló then summoned Puerto Rico's Legislative Assembly for them to issue their advice and consent. The House of Representatives approved his nomination 26–21.[15] However, the following day, members of the Puerto Rican Senate announced that action on his nomination would not occur until August 1. When Rosselló resigned on August 2, he declared Pierluisi to be governor although he had not been confirmed by both the House and the Senate as secretary of state, and Pierluisi affirmed Rosselló's declaration. Pierluisi's accession to the governorship was challenged in the courts as being unconstitutional.[16] On August 5, the Puerto Rico Senate filed a lawsuit against his appointment as governor by contending that unless he obtained the Senate's assent, his governorship was unconstitutional.[17] Two days later, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court ruled that Pierluisi was sworn in on unconstitutional grounds and ordered him to be removed from office effective 5 p.m. AST on August 7.[18][19]

2020 elections

On August 16, 2020, Pierluisi won the PNP gubernatorial primary race against governor Wanda Vázquez Garced. With 75.6% of voting stations reporting, Pierluisi has won about 57.9% of the votes over Vazquez’s 42.1%, clinching the nomination for New Progressive Party.[20][21]

On July 20, 2020, Pierluisi endorsed Joe Biden for the 2020 United States presidential election.[22]

On November 3, 2020, Pierluisi was elected as the Governor of Puerto Rico. He received approximately 32.9% of all the votes, distributed among 6 candidates that ran for office.[23]

Inauguration

On Saturday, January 2, 2021, Pierluisi took the oath of office. At 8:00 a.m., there was a private ceremony in which he took the oath from the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Maite Oronoz Rodríguez.[24] This was followed by a controversial public ceremony on the northern side of the Capitol of Puerto Rico, where Pierluisi retook the oath of office publicly in front of 400 guests during the COVID-19 Pandemic and gave his inagural address.[25]

Personal life

Pierluisi revealed in 2019 that he was divorcing his wife,[26] Maria Elena Carrión, who is the sister of controversial Financial Oversight Board president, José Carrión III. This would be his second divorce. After his first divorce, he met Maria Elena in a blind date set up by his younger sister. Pierluisi's father, Jorge Pierluisi, served as Secretary of Puerto Rico's Housing Department under Gov. Carlos Romero Barceló from 1977 to 1985. His brother, José Jaime Pierluisi, an economic adviser to then governor Pedro Rossello, was shot and killed during a carjacking in 1994.[27]

See also

• List of Hispanic Americans in the United States Congress

Notes

1. His swearing in was deemed unconstitutional and he was duly removed from office on August 7, 2019. Wanda Vázquez Garced was subsequently sworn in as governor.
2. Primera Hora (2009) "El nuevo comisionado residente en Washington, Pedro Rafael Pierluisi Urrutia..."[1]

References

1. "Busca auxilio federal". Primera Hora (in Spanish). January 7, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
2. "Senado Registro de Cabilderos". www.senado.pr.gov (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-08-03.
3. "Portal de la Rama Judicial de Puerto Rico". www.ramajudicial.pr. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
4. "Free Hosting Account Suspended - x10hosting". Statehoodpr.org. Archived from the original on 2008-03-27. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
5. "Pedro Pierluisi, 1959-" (PDF).
6. FEC 2007–2008 Cycle (2008-06-11). "Pedro Pierluisi Total Receipts". FEC. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
7. "Primarias 2008 Escrutinio PNP". 64.185.222.182. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
8. Newlin, Eliza. Res. Com. Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR, At-Large) – The Almanac of American Politics. Nationaljournal.com. Retrieved on 2012-11-22.
9. – Puerto Rico Report. PuertoRicoReport.com (2013-05-15). Retrieved on 2013-05-13.
10. "Acusan a Pierluisi de mentir en caso de corrupción". Retrieved 2020-06-17.
11. "Puerto Rico's Prosperous D.C. Power Couple". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
12. "Puerto Rico rep in D.C. profiting from wife's Wall Street ties". www.efe.com.
13. "THESE are the Puerto Ricans who owe $72 billion to the United States…and THEY should pay it". July 7, 2016.
14. "Solicitan investigación federal sobre relación de Pierluisi con intereses navieros hallados culpables por fraude y conspiración". Telemundo Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-06-17.
15. "Puerto Rico governor resigns as promised; successor sworn in". POLITICO. Associated Press.
16. "Pedro Pierluisi was sworn in as Puerto Rico's governor. His opponents are still questioning his legitimacy". CNN. August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
17. "Puerto Rico's Senate files lawsuit to oust newly sworn-in governor". Retrieved 6 August 2019.
18. DÁNICA COTO (August 7, 2019). "Puerto Rico High Court Overturns Pedro Pierluisi as Governor". Bloomberg News. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.
19. Mazzei, Patricia; Robles, Frances (2019-08-07). "Puerto Rico Supreme Court Rules New Governor Was Unlawfully Sworn In". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
20. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
21. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
22. Kuilan, Gloria Ruiz (July 20, 2020). "Pedro Pierluisi vota por Joe Biden". Retrieved September 24, 2020.
23. https://elecciones2020.ceepur.org/Noche_del_Evento_92/index.html#es/default/GOBERNADOR_Resumen.xml
24. Rosario, Frances (2021-01-02). "Pedro Pierluisi jura como gobernador en el Tribunal Supremo" [Pedro Pierluisi Sworn in as Governor in the Supreme Court]. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
25. Colón Dávila, Javier (2021-01-02). "Pedro Pierluisi promete un gobierno diverso y libre de corrupción en su primer mensaje al país" [Pedro Pierluisi Promises a Diverse and Free-form-Corruption Government in his First Message to the Nation]. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
26. "Pedro Pierluisi confirma que atraviesa proceso de divorcio". Telemundo Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-06-17.
27. "Jose Jaime Pierluisi, 28, an Aide To Puerto Rico Governor, Dies". The New York Times. June 11, 1994.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Congressman Pedro Pierluisi official U.S. House website
• Pedro Pierluisi for Congress (Spanish) official campaign website
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission