>> THERE IS A SCANDAL BREWING AND IT HAS TO DO WITH $300 MILLION CONTRACT
FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE ELECTRICAL GRID OF PUERTO RICO RIGHT
NOW WHICH WENT TO A COMPANY CALLED
WHITEFISH ENERGY.
IT IS A COMPANY THAT WAS DEVELOPED IN THE PAST TWO
YEARS AND HAD TWO PERMANENT EMPLOYEES AS OF A MONTH OR TWO AGO.
IT IS LOOKING EVEN WORSE TODAY BECAUSE A COPY OF THE CONTRACT THEY
SIGNED HAS BEEN LEAKED AND SOME OF
THE PROVISIONS OF IT ARE RIDICULOUS.
WE WILL BREAK DOWN TO ON THE SHOW
TODAY.
HERE IS A SPOKESMAN OVER THE FIRST PROVISION.
>>WHITE FISH CONTRACT STATES ñ WHY WOULD THAT MAKE SENSE KNOWING HOW
DIFFICULT THESE SITUATIONS ARE AND KNOWING THAT EVEN PUERTO RICO, IF
YOU GO BACK TO 1998 THERE HAS BEEN
MISUSE OF FUNDS, CORRUPTION.
WHY ENTER INTO A CONTRACT THAT IS NOT
OFFERING A COMPLETE TRANSPARENCY AT
A DESPERATE TIME?
>> THE CONTRACT WAS DONE IN GOOD FAITH WITH PREPA.
THE CONTRACT
SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.
>> LET'S THROW ONE MORE OUT THERE, WE WILL HAVE MORE DISCUSSION WITH
THAT.
ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE CONTRACT SAYS THAT PREPA WAIVES ANY CLAIM
AGAINST CONTRACTORS RELATED TO
DELAYED COMPLETION OF THE WORK.
BUT I'M SURE THERE THAT I HAD ALL THE
DEADLINES.
>> IN NO EVENT ñ
>> NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, CENK.
I TRUSTED HIS SECOND SHIN.
THERE IS
JUST NO CORRUPTION THERE JUST
SCREAMING.
>>AND TRUMP HAS NEVER DONE ANY ACCUSATION OF HIRING CONTRACTORS AND
THEN NOT PAYING THEM.
>> THAT IS A GOOD POINT.
NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WOULD BE
WORRIED.
>> YOU SEE THE WAY THAT IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN HAS BEEN GIVEN HOSPITALS
THAT ARE NOT SAVING OR ñ IF WE COULD JUST FIND A WAY TO REVERSE INVADE
PUERTO RICO OR RESTAGE THIS WHOLE
THING AND REBUILD IT, THEN THERE WOULD ACTUALLY BE SOME KIND OF REAL
HELP THERE.
WHAT IS RIDICULOUS TO ME AS I REMEMBER DOING A STORY RIGHT
AFTER THE HURRICANE THINKING THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY THAT SO MANY ENERGY
COMPANIES WANTED TO PRIVATIZE PREPA, THIS FAILING ELECTRICAL GRID THAT
EVERYONE KNOWS NEEDED TO BE FIXED.
AND IT GOES TO THE LEAST QUALIFIED
AND MOST NEPOTISTIC POSSIBLE COMPANY WHICH I THINK TOOK US ALL FOR ONE.
AT LEAST MAYBE PEOPLE WILL ACTUALLY GET THE LIGHTS ON A MONTH LATER.
>>IS A GREAT ANSWER TO THE QUESTION WHERE HOW AND 2017 CAN WE HAVE A
FRESH NEW WAVE OF COLONIALISM.
>> THIS IS WHAT NAOMI TALKS ABOUT, WHEN WE HAVE A CRISIS IT IS A
PERFECT TIME TO BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE.
YOU KNOW THE MO OF THE TRUNK GUYS,
THEY ARE BRAZEN.
SO IF YOU MISS WHEN THE STORY ORIGINALLY BROKE,
WHITEFISH, ONE OF THEIR INVESTORS IS A HEAVY REPUBLICAN DONOR, BUT THAT
IS NOT SURPRISING.
A MORE RELEVANT PART OF IT IS THAT THE CEO IS REALLY
GOOD FRIENDS WITH THE INTERIOR
SECRETARY RYAN ZINKE.
WHITEFISH IS THE NAME OF THE HOMETOWN OF RYAN,
THE INTERIOR OF THE SECRETARY.
THEY ARE NOT REMOTELY TRYING TO HIDE IT.
BUT JUST TO RUB IT IN YOUR FACE A LITTLE BIT MORE, THEY ALSO SAID IN
THE CONTRACT YOU CAN NEVER LOOK
INSIDE THEIR COST AND NEVER AUDIT THEM.
>>ON TOP OF IT, BEAR IN MIND IT WAS A NO-BID CONTRACT WHICH SEEMS LIKE
THE SORT OF THING YOU CAN PROBABLY HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF COMPETITION
FOR.
THEY LOVE COMPETITION DON'T DATE DAX AND STEPHEN COLBERT ARE
MENTIONED THIS YESTERDAY, RYAN SON HAD A SUMMER JOB AT A WHITEFISH
CONSTRUCTION SITE, WHICH IS WEIRD.
BUT WITH ALL OF THIS AND ALL OF THE
CONCERN ABOUT THE LIKELIHOOD THAT IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE AND MORE
BROADLY IT LOOKS LIKE THE MO OF THE
GOVERNMENT RIGHT NOW IS TO JUST HAND OFF EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR TO THESE
PRIVATE CORPORATIONS.
THANKFULLY THERE ARE SOME INVESTIGATIONS INTO
THIS PARTICULAR ONE, TO HOUSE COMMITTEES IN A FEDERAL WATCHDOG
HAVE OPENED UP INVESTIGATIONS INTO
THE DEAL.
SAN JUAN'S MAYOR HAS PUT IN A CALL TO GET THE DEAL VOIDED.
I
DON'T KNOW IF THE STIPULATIONS OF THE CONTRACT WILL ACTUALLY STOP THE
SORT OF INVESTIGATION THAT CAN HAPPEN NOW.
IT IS OF COURSE HEADED
BY ANOTHER ONE OF PEOPLE PICKED BY DONALD TRUMP.
BUT IT IS POSSIBLE
SOMETHING WILL BE DONE.
>>AT LEAST THEY GOT THE WORD WHITE, I THINK THAT'S WHY THEY PICK TO THIS
COMPANY.
THEY SAID WHITE IS IN THE TITLE, THAT IS WHY THEY PICKED THIS
COMPANY.
IT IS THE MOST INDOLENT KIND OF A PLACE IS GOING TO FIX AND
ISLAND.
>>WITH BIG WATER.
>>A PLACE WITH NO WATER IS GOING TO FIX A PLACE WITH A LOT OF WATER.
>> AND YOU KNOW WATER AND ELECTRICITY, YOU HAVE TO KEEP THEM
SEPARATE.
>> AND WHITEFISH IS TRUMP'S FAVORITE KIND OF FISH.
>> THEY ARE TRYING TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES NOW FROM THE DEAL.
WHEN
FEMA IS LIKE RAISING A FLAG, YOU KNOW WE ALL SHOULD BE RAISING A
FLAG.
THE SMALL RAY OF HOPE AROUND THIS, SAME WITH THE DRUGS ARE, IS
THAT THE ADMINISTRATION DOESN'T SEEM COMPLETELY IMMUNE TO PUBLIC PRESSURE
THAT THIS OUTRAGE LIKE OKAY, I GET THE SMALL BUSINESS THING BUT REALLY
TWO FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES ARE GOING TO FIX THE ELECTRICITY OF AN ISLAND
WITH 3.5 MILLION PEOPLE?
NO.
FOR ME IT IS LIKE MAYBE THERE IS A LEARNING
CURVE?
MAYBE THE BUILDING BLOCKS ARE BEING PUT IN THE RIGHT ORDER?
>>TO BE FAIR TO THE REPUBLICANS, THEY HAVE ALSO RAISED QUESTIONS.
THEY ARE SAYING THIS LOOKS
PARTICULARLY FISHY.
SO WE WILL SEE IF THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
BUT THE
BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THERE IS A REASON WHY THEY PUT STUFF IN THE
CONTRACT THAT YOU CANNOT LOOK AT WHAT THEY ARE DOING BECAUSE THEY
DIDN'T WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO
INVESTIGATE WHAT THEY ARE DOING GIVEN HOW FISHY IT IS.