'I Don't See People Dying': Geraldo Confronts San Juan Mayor Who Said Trump's 'Killing' Puerto Ricans

Nick Kangadis | October 3, 2017
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When your ideology and hate of a Republican get in the way of helping the people that rely on you, it’s time to rethink said ideology.

San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who has refused to participate in any FEMA meetings regarding aid to Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, has continually accused the Trump administration of not helping out in Puerto Rico’s time of need, going so far as to claim the federal government is "killing" Puerto Ricans.

Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera went down to Puerto Rico and actually confronted Cruz about her statement that people are “dying” because of the Trump administration’s “inefficiency and bureaucracy.”

“But are people dying? I’ve been traveling around, I don’t see people dying,” Rivera challenging Cruz said. “I spoke to the doctors, they say they saw 53 patients and they had a person who was septic, but nobody dying.”

“Dying is a continuum,” Cruz said in response. “If you don’t get fed for seven, eight days and you’re a child, you are dying. If you have 11 people like we took out of a nursing home, severely dehydrated, you are dying.”

Of course dying is a continuum. Everyone eventually dies. It’s an unfortunate part of life. But, when it comes to Puerto Ricans dying from neglect and a lack of supplies, Rivera wasn’t buying it.

“The death count was 16 a week ago. It remains 16 today,” Rivera said. “People are not dying.”

Here's video of Rivera's interview with Cruz:

Backing up Rivera’s claims, an article released on Sunday by the Daily Mail said that a Puerto Rican woman claiming to be a police officer alleged that Cruz and Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rossello have been holding back supplies “in order to make for better photo opportunities. The woman even went so far as to say that U.S. armed forces need to “come in and distribute the aid.”

The Daily Mail reported on the alleged cop’s allegations:

The woman - who did not provide proof of being a cop - said that she was calling from Guynabo, a municipality that borders San Juan.

Supposedly speaking through an app that took an hour and a half to download, she claimed that supplies had been piling up since Hurricane Maria hit, but were not being distributed.

'The mayor, Carmen Yulin, is not allowing anyone to distribute,' she said, audibly upset. 'We need... what us Puerto Ricans need is that the US armed forces come in and distribute the aid.'

She also demanded that they 'stop Governor Rossello,' adding 'It's an abuse, it looks like Communism, on our own island' before breaking into tears.

It’s not absolutely clear whether Cruz’s statements and actions are politically motivated, but the Daily Caller reported on Cruz’s glee back in January when then-President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of convicted Puerto Rican terrorist Oscar Lopez Rivera.

Here’s part of the report:

Yulin Cruz added, “This great celebration is going to be in the streets and it is going to be extraordinarily large. So do come by starting Thursday to celebrate what our hearts scream for. Thanks, President Obama. Long live Oscar Lopez Rivera.”

Lopez Rivera was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his involvement in the FALN, a Puerto Rican separatist group that was responsible for more than 100 bombings in the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s.

Time will tell whether Cruz and Rossello are actually withholding aid to the people who need it, all to score political points.

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