The Governor of Puerto Rico, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, has labeled the American Future Fund a xenophobic far-right group, after the conservative organization published several advertisements criticizing him.

Garcia's remarks, made Tuesday, came after the group took to The Wall Street Journal and Politico news website to accuse the Puerto Rican administration of corruption and attempting to avoid banking regulations.

“The advertisements are a sort of extortion by that far-right group, a group that uses xenophobic and racist statements, but they obviously do not know Puerto Rico and its people,” said Garcia during an event at Yabucoa county, southeast Puerto Rico.

Garcia has been criticized for opposing an agreement reached during the previous Luis G. Fortuño administration that ordered Puerto Rico to return US$299 million fund to Doral Bank.

The head of the Puerto Rican Internal Revenue Service during Fortuño’s administration was Juan Carlos Mendez, who is currently the vice president of Doral Bank.

Several other officials during Fortuño’s mandate also were hired by Doral bank after Fortuño left office.

“I have to defend interests of the Puerto Rican people,” said Garcia. “Everybody knows the circumstances and the officials involved in that alleged agreement.”