Gutierrez: People Died in Puerto Rico Because Trump Was ‘Lazy’ 

Tuesday on MSNBC’s “All In,”  Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL) reacted to President Donald Trump calling his administration’s response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico a “success.”

Gutierrez said, “It might be, although I’m sure that there are others that will compete, one of his just biggest fabrications and lies. How do you celebrate and declare a success when officially now the deaths are over 3,000? And, you know, that’s the latest study. One accepted by the government of Puerto rRico that never wanted to change the numbers and was complicit with this president in trying to hide the real calamity and deaths and the lack of action of the American government. But let me say this; the Harvard study said it was over 4,000. I was there within ten days. I was there within ten days, not because the government allowed me to go facilitate it, because Donald Trump did everything he could to stop any oversight, over the conduct of the American government, and what it was doing to facilitate.”

He continued, “I think the mayor of San Juan was absolutely correct, you let people die. And, you know, if you think a success is having the deaths of people on your hands. I think it’s important to put it into context. He said two things. He said, ‘well, you know, the people of Puerto Rico would be better off, but they want us to do everything for them.’ So he called us lazy. And then he said, ‘wow, you’re busting my budget.'”

He added, “This is a president of the United States with a catastrophic situation in Puerto Rico, unprecedented in Puerto Rico with thousands of people dying and saying how expensive and how lazy we are. The only one who was lazy was you, Mr. President. You were lazy, and you weren’t on duty and people died because of it.”

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