RNC Statement: Chants of “USA! USA!” Were Not Directed at Puerto Rican GOP Delegate

Aug 29, 2012
9:22 AM

It was a bizarre scene that has gone viral on YouTube (over 146,000 views last time we checked), and as we reported yesterday, there were different accounts as to why Puerto Rico's Zoraida Fonelladas could not speak at the podium of the Republican National Convention yesterday in Tampa.

Here is the clip that has gone viral.

Bryan Llenas of Fox News Latino reported the following statement from the Republican National Committee:

During today's Republican Convention Committee Reports, the Ron Paul followers exercised their right to free speech and protested the report by the Committee on Credentials. The Report by the Chairwoman of the Permanent Organization Committee followed. The protesters continued their boisterous protest of the Credentials Report which spilled over to the rest of the proceedings. To be clear, the attempt to disrupt the proceedings had to do with the report, not the Puerto Rico National Committeewoman. Puerto Rico and its delegation play a very important role in this Convention, and are an integral partner in the National Committee.