Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told CNN on Monday morning that he was glad Democrats had visited the island over the weekend despite the partial federal government shutdown.
CNN’s John Berman asked Rosselló, who is affiliated with the national Democratic Party, about the congressional Democrats’ junket on New Day, marking one of the only times the network — or any mainstream outlet — has covered the trip in less than glowing terms.
As Breitbart News and other outlets have reported, 30 Democrats traveled to Puerto Rico over the weekend on a chartered plane with over 100 lobbyists. Their itinerary included meetings with local officials — as well as parties, a local premiere of Hamilton, and free time on the beach.
The exchange between Berman and Rosselló was as follows:
CNN anchor Dave Briggs criticized Fox News on Twitter for criticizing the Democrats’ trip on Monday morning without mentioning that the Hamilton show had raised “some $15 million toward Puerto Rican post-hurricane recovery.”
According to the Washington Post, the money is actually headed “to a fund for struggling Puerto Rican artists and arts institutions” that is run by the family of Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.