The 55 minutes of explanations by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, for the espionage through the Pegasus system have not satisfied the independentistas. One of the deputies spied on, Ferran Bel (PDECat) laments “the lack of empathy” of the president. Insatiable, ERC, Bildu, PDECat and Junts, applicants for this appearance, warn that Sánchez “has worsened” the situation by not answering or clearing up unknowns. Meanwhile, as Gabriel Rufián, ERC spokesman, has added, the Government of PSOE and United We Can “is full of talk about transparency.”
“What have you come here to do today?” Rufián snapped; and he continued: «I am going to ask you the questions that they do not allow us to ask in the investigation commission that they veto
». Rufián reproaches that the Government responds that “Spain is a full democracy” despite the “scandal”. “Are there people in this country with badges who believe that this country is theirs and is worth everything? It is important to know, because it would mean that you have not cleaned your sewers thinking that you can control them. The ERC spokesman has also reminded the president that he is the head of the CNI, after he blamed the intelligence services for tapping the cell phones of the independentistas.
Sánchez has explained that they will modify the organic law regulating the National Intelligence Center (2002) and the official secrets law (1968). But his pro-independence allies are not served by this announcement. Sánchez disassociates himself from listening to the independentistas, reaches out to the Catalan president, Pere Aragonès, also spied on, to reactivate the ‘dialogue table’ and charges the PP for his corruption cases. No self-criticism or more assumption of responsibilities.
The president appealed that “the claocas” belong to the PP and, from Bildu, Mertxe Aizpurua, replied: “This government has used the same tactics as the previous ones against its opponents.” The president said that it acts with legal protection, and Aizpurua: “A democracy does not spy on its political opponents, that is not delay.” Bildu’s spokeswoman reminded him that thanks to them he is president: “The government spies on those of us who allow it to continue and advances continue to occur.” And she asked more questions: “Who ordered the tapping? Does the CNI act outside the government? To whom does Spanish Intelligence respond? We haven’t received a single response.”
Míriam Nogueras, from Junts, has also gone up to the platform angry and disappointed: «You can’t come out here to unleash these milongas because you’re the president». She has reproached him for the fact that the only decision they have made was to dismiss the director of the CNI, Paz Esteban. Insufficient also for them. Nogueras, like the rest, charged against Sánchez: «Are they spying on us for being independentists? What crime have we committed? Why in a normal country with such a transparent government, as you say, the president, instead of giving explanations, is telling us stories?
During the PDECat’s turn, Ferran Bel showed his discomfort: «We are absolutely disappointed (…) The situation has worsened». The spied deputy criticizes Sánchez for using a quarter of his time to talk about the “corruption of the PP”. “Can you guarantee that no State institution or its members have spied on those of us who do not have judicial authorization to be spied on?”, “If, as you have tried to transmit from here, everything has worked with the precision of a Swiss watch.. Why did they dismiss the director of the CNI? Do you intend to replace the Minister of Defense? », He has continued.
And one last question: “Why don’t they authorize a commission of inquiry in this chamber?” The PSOE and the PP knocked down on Tuesday in the Board of Spokespersons the creation of an investigation commission of the “sewers of the State”, which United We Can and Sánchez’s pro-independence partners had registered.
