Puerto Rico Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila and 12 political associates were arrested Monday for a long list of federal campaign finance crimes, a development that political observers say could dramatically shift the playing field in the island's increasingly important Democratic presidential primary.Federal authorities began taking Acevedo allies on the island and in the greater
Philadelphia area into custody early Thursday based on charges outlined in a 19-count indictment returned by a grand jury in San Juan earlier in the week, according to witnesses in San Juan and Philadelphia.
At a press conference in San Juan Thursday morning, Acting Puerto Rico U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez said Acevedo and the 12 others are accused of running a conspiracy to illegally raise money to pay off his campaign debt in 2000, according to an Associated Press bulletin from the island.
In 2000, before his 2004 election as governor, Acevedo was campaigning to be the island territory's non-voting representative in the U.S. Congress. He has been the target for at least three years of the campaign finance fraud investigation. The investigation began as an inquiry into "bundled" political contributions from Philadelphia before jumping to San Juan.
It has been a riveting political soap opera for a year as Acevedo geared up his campaign to remain in office in the island's November gubernatorial election. A long line of grand jury witnesses said they were questioned about whether Acevedo administration contracts were awarded in return for political contributions. The governor reguularly was peppered with questions about the investigation during his frequent public appearances.
Late last summer, a team of inluential Washington lobbyists on the Acevedo administration payroll launched an extraordinary campaign to block the appointment as U.S. Attorney of Rodriguez, who was then the assistant federal prosecutor running the campaign finance investigation. The governor's office succeeded in having the nomination indefinitely held by Congress. But Puerto Rico's federal judges interceded in September, excercising their authority to appoint Rodriguez. The campaign finance investigation continued.
In November, Acevedo held an unusual press conference in San Juan to acknowledge that he was the target of the investigation. But he claimed it was a political witch hunt by a Republicans trying to destroy Democratic candidates across the country.
Acevedo is a nominal Democrat, but as governor heads the island's Popular
Democratic Party, the principal political goal of which is to maintain Puerto Rico's status as a unincorporated U.S. territory. As a territory, a status referred to popularly as commonwealth, Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but cannot vote for U.S. President and have no voting representation in the U.S. Congress.
Despite doubts about Acevedo's political viability created by the long running investigation, Acevedo has emerged as the face of Barrack Obama's Democratic presidential primary campaign in Puerto Rico.
During a brief trip by Obama to the island in November, Acevedo appeared at a fundraiser that raised more than $100,000 for the Obama campaign. Late last winter, Acevedo endorsed Obama after the Obama campaign issued a position paper sympathetic to the Popular Democratic Party's anti-statehood position.
Political observers have long speculated that an Acevedo indictment could create a vacuum at the top of the Obama campaign on the island at a time when Obama, Clinton and their surrogates arrive to campaign for Puerto Rico's 63 delegates. The island primary is scheduled to take place June 1.
Obama and Acevedo supporters have been largely silent on the subject, but some Clinton supporters have followed the campaign finance investigation with something close to glee.
"I think it could have a huge effect," said Puerto Rico Senate majority leader Kenneth McClintock, a statehooder, Democratic national committee member and one of the island's leading Clinton supporters. "If for any reason he is incapacitated from campaigning for Obama, it would create a big hole in the Obama campaign in Puerto Rico."
Political observers on the island say the governor's arrest could cause turmoil at the top of the Popular Democratic Party, diverting the party's attention inward rather than to the Obama campaign. Among other things, they believe the indictment could give more ammunition to the party wing that wants Acevedo to withdraw as its gubernatorial candidate.
What's more, the observer's say any public appearances by Acevedo in support of Obama are no likely to be overwhelmed by questions about the indictment.
The Popular Democratic Party's principal political rival on the island is the New Progressive Party, which wants Puerto Rico to become a state. The smaller, but intellectually influential Puerto Rico Independence Party supports independence for the island. [
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