Senators this time raise concern about Fitial’s signature on letter

Who signed Gov. Benigno Fitial’s signature on a letter to President Obama and why are questions still on the minds of members of the Legislature.

During a special Senate session yesterday, Senate President Pete Reyes brought the issue up as the letter in question was passed out to all seven senators present.

The letter asked Obama to let the Department of Interior administer the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund section of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, not the U.S. Department of Education as required under the law.

Fitial’s signature appeared alongside signatures of the governors of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa.

Charles Reyes, press secretary for the Governor’s Office, earlier said the governors’ request was denied, which is supported by a letter from the Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan to the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, saying the Education Department would consult with the Interior.

“I don’t know who signed off for the governor, but the governor supported the letter’s position. I also understand that he signed that letter while in D.C. In any case, the issue is now moot,” press secretary Reyes said about the March 4 letter addressed to Obama.

Although the issue is now moot, President Reyes said it was still controversial and the Senate would later delve into the letter’s intent.

He also questioned the authenticity of the signature of Felix Camacho, the governor of Guam.

“I know the signature of the governor of Guam. It’s different from what I remember,” he said.

“In my personal opinion, looking at the signatures, it looks like all four were signed by one person,” he added.

On Tuesday, members of the House of Representatives also raised the issue of Fitial’s signature.

House Speaker Arnold Palacios said he was concerned about the impression sending a letter to the White House with a “fake” signature would look.

“How and why this happened is beyond comprehension,” Palacios added.

The issue came up after members of the Public School System’s Board of Education learned about Fitial signing the letter asking Obama to let Interior disburse the stabilization funds. BOE vice chair Herman Guerrero said he was upset Fitial wrote the letter to Obama without first asking PSS.