Puerto Rico Governor Names His Possible Successor

Puerto Rico's governor says he's chosen former Congress representative Pedro Pierluisi as the US territory's secretary of state. That post would put Pierluisi in line to take over as governor when Ricardo Rosselló steps down this week—but he's unlikely to be approved by legislators, reports the AP. Rosselló made the announcement Wednesday via Twitter and said he would hold a special session on Thursday so legislators can vote on the nomination. Top legislators have already said they will reject Pierluisi's nomination because he works for a law firm that represents the federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico's finances and say that's a conflict of interest.

Rosselló has said he'll resign on Friday following massive protests in which Puerto Ricans demanded his ouster. The New York Times explains that per Puerto Rico's Constitution, an exiting governor would be replaced by the secretary of state—except there isn't one, as Luis Rivera Marín has also resigned over the crude text messages that took down Rosselló. Pierluisi represented Puerto Rico in Congress from 2009-2017. (This after the justice secretary said she didn't want the job.)