whitefish is based in his hometown. the interior department and whitefish says zinke played no dle in the contract. whitefish officials say they were willing to work for $2 million up front while the

whitefish on twitter said her comments were displaced. cruz's response, if whitefish's fells that asking for information is misplaced, what are they afraid we will find? whitefish shot back with a threat to leave writing we've got 44 men working on your power lines in your city and more coming. do you want us to send them back or keep working. lawmakers want to know how whitefish got the job in the first place. >> my biggest concern is we don't have enough information as to the process that went through that. >> the other question, can whitefish fulfill its end of the deal. >> this appears to be a pretty small company. are they capable of doing the job i think they're being asked? >> politicians on both sides of the aisle are calling for an investigation into the whitefish contract. a federal control board that oversees puerto rico's fi nances, said a former military official will be responsible for speeding up the efforts and coordinating with puerto rico and the federal government. anne-marie? >> nikki battiste here in new york. thanks

amy: ryan zinke's son worked for whitefish, not to mention whitefish is ryan zinke's hometown.o you think ryan zinke should be investigated? how didid this contract happene? anand have you met with the men running the show here, all of the whitefish workers they are importing? not that there are that many righght now full''s tough -- not that there are that t many right now. >> whitefish didn't come to puerto rico by accident. there must have been some connection to be able to come to puerto rico. it wasasn't that it was a classified ad. some o of the must have called puerto rico for them. worked for a brazilian compmpany. ththat is another angle that nes to be investigated. the brazilian company in this process. amy: what is the name of the brazilian company? >> we still don't know the name. this is a report by the environmenent news in the united states. company washis financing g whitefish for two years. when we saw that news, we do a relationship with brazilian company -- we drew a relationship with h the brazilin noted as the most corrupt company in latin america. [indisce

i raised a couple of weeks ago the issue of this whitefish contract.he problem is that the pillaging of puerto rico is still continuing, even in the midst of this enormous crisis. not only is this contract with whitefish indefensible, the rates they were paying private contractors essentially to do work that puerto rico electrical workers could be doing or that electrical workers from other parts of the united states could be doing from utilities, but there was pillaging going on before hand. most people are not aware this guy ricardo ramos was appointed the head of prepa just in february. amy: and use that time to sign these contracts. juan: and before that, there was a woman named lisa donohue, the chief restructuring officer of prepa. she had been brought in about a year and half earlier to restructure all of the debt of prepa. she never was finally able to get a final deal with the bondholders, yet she walked away million forwith $46 18 months of work. her and the other partners in her firm that were brought in to restructure puerto rico's debt. 46

that is why whitefish is there and whitefish is getting work done.t this would be -- so you said you've done 200 to $250 million projects, not in puerto rico and you're saying this would be the biggest deal you've ever done? >> no, i am -- your question was the experience of contracts that size. andy has led contracts of that size. so the question of can you handle a contract of that size, the answer is yes, based on experience. do we work in mountainous regions? yes. and after that the question should be how does a small firm ramp up. it's very common in the industry, in all industries, to hire and to ramp up. we have 325 people on the island. so there is -- should be no consideration as to the work getting done. >> there's not. my question is not do you have enough people there now, the question is how did you get the contract? not to say that you don't have experience but so does florida power and light and the agency in the dominican republic. so the questions are around how does a company with not a connection to puerto rico when there were othe

whitefish has never worked on a project of this size. i mean we're kind of in the middle of nowhere. it's beautiful out here, but it certainly doesn't look like a headquarters for an energy company. a hi, i'm andy techmanski. >> reporter: whitefish c.e.o., andy techmanski, says his company, which is located in the hometown of interior secretary ryan zinke has 300 workers on the ground in puerto rico working to fix the crippled electrical system. >> and it's going to help get the power back on in puerto rico. >> mason: a month after hurricane maria devastated puerto rico, 75% of that island is still without power. the controversy over the no-bid contract set off a twitter feud e tween the mayor of san juan, carmen yulin cruz, and the company. cruz believes the deal with whitefish energy should be void. voided. she described the company as "inadequate" and asked for transparency. whitefish hit back, threatening to leave, writing: the company later apologized. the company later apologized. as we were leaving, what was said to be the headqua

whitefish energy is a pretty small company whitefish energy is a pretty small com pa ny started two whitefishy small company started two years ago in north—west montana. they made a splash a year ago when the chief executive said he wanted to build a manufacturing plant for transformers. the plant did not go through but the company has won a few contracts to do some power line rebuild and repair in arizona and washington state. has it ever done anything on the scale of the work is being asked to do in puerto rico? not to my knowledge but the company say that they are designed to scale up say that they are designed to scale up as needed and they also say they have a lot of experience working in mountainous terrain, which is important in puerto rico because there is a mountain chain running down the island, separating the power generation sites from the populated areas. so while some people are easing sceptical eyebrows, the company would say that it isa eyebrows, the company would say that it is a perfectly legitimate job for it is a perfectly legitimate job for it to pick up? yeah they say th

of whitefish energy. according to real estate record online, the house was up for sale, but it was taken off the market two days after hurricane maria made landfall in puerto rico. we found the headquarters in rural montana, but it appears to be a private residence. ( doorbell ). >> who are you looking for? >> reporter: andy techmanski. i know the mail in front of the house says his name. >> this says wish. >> reporter: it says wish holding. thank you, sir. wish secured a contract with prepare athe puerto rico energy authority. his company has been around for two years, and at the time the hurricane made landfall in puerto rico, whitefish had only two employees. they have since hired 300 people to do work for them in puerto rico. notable is the u.s. secretary of the interior, ryan zinke, is from whitefish, montana. in fact, he and the c.e.o. of whitefish energy know each other, that's according to the associated press which reports the secretary's son at one time had a job with whitefish energy. the secre

whitefish energy to come out today.nal democrats are also calling for investigations. >> whitefish energy is a 2-year-old company and had two full-time employees when puerto rico signed the contract reportedly with very little vetting. also based in the hometown of ryan zinke whose son spent a summer working for whitefish energy. secretary zinke is scheduled to meet with president trump later this hour at the white house. we'll bring you any developments out of that meeting. earlier this morning, i spoke to a spokesman for whitefish energy. take a listen. it's strange to the average eye to say how does this teeny tiny company in whitefish, montana, hometown of ryan zinke get the contract. >> sure. and again -- sure. look. conspiracy theories, i get people's questions. they're very legitimate. they flew to puerto rico on september 26th. prepa said there was only one other firm interested in bidding. the other firms have been interested only when the u.s. government was on the island and securing the debt which is much li

how did whitefish first get in contact with puerto rican power authority.urns out ceo of whitefish gave an interview he reached out to the puerto ricans through the website linkedin. elaine. >> thank you. >> five years ago, superstorm sandy slammed into the northeast. parts of new york and new jersey were devastated. it was the second costliest storm in u.s. history. more than $70 billion in damage. half a decade later many are still struggling. five years after hurricane sandy, residents in new york are still recovering as their homes undergo extensive renovations, are being razeed or rebuilt. in 2013, 20,000 flood victims registered for assistance to rebuild or replace their homes. >> 250, 300 homes, elevating rebuilding in the community. amy peterson director of the build it back program says she can help less than half. >> as you know there has been criticism though the process has been cumbersome, confusing. and that early on there was a lack of communication. what is your response to that? >> sandy was a disaster no one had seen. the build it back pro

well, as we say, whitefish haveissued contract.efish have issued the statement and say they are proud of the work that they we re they are proud of the work that they were able to complete thus far. thank you. the president of iraqi kurdistan, masoud barzani, has stepped down, after an independence referendum he championed backfired and triggered a regional crisis. in a defiant television address, mr barzani said that nobody had stood up for the kurds after their vote on independence last month, and accused his rivals of treason. quentin sommerville's report from erbil contains flash photography. for the kurds, it is an end without triumph. as protesters attempted to storm its parliament, behind closed doors, an era was coming to an end. translation: i refuse to continue in the position of president and i will serve kurdistan as a peshmerga and i will continue to fight for the rights of the kurds and preserve the achievements of the kurdish people. president massoud barzani had hoped to leave office as father of an independent nati

of whitefish energy. >> reporter: techmanski knows ryan zinke. whitefish is based in his hometown.ior department and whitefish says zinke played no role in the contract. whitefish officials say they were willing to $2 million up front while the other company prepa was considering wanted $25 million. tonight puerto rico's governor says that he's going to be reviewing the contracting process. anthony? >> mason: julianna goldman. thanks, julianna. hurricane maria also disrupted production at puerto rican factories that make critical drugs and medical supplies. dr. jon lapook found hospitals on the u.s. mainland are already seeing shortages. >> this is slated to go for a patient for infusion. >> reporter: these small bags of intravenous fluid deliver life-saving medications like antibiotics and chemotherapy. regine villain's job at nyu health is to manage supply and she's worried. the bags are in short supply. >> we have been practically hand-to-mouth counting by the drops how much we have in house. it's just really nerve-racking to think about not being able to have those bags availab

there was controversy by the whitefish company and whitefish contract and he announced that he was going to have an investigation and then audit. but that is all a frankly sideshow to the main problem, which is as you said, 70% of the people don't have power. and it's a matter of life and death. i also think the mutual aid quote/unquote system will serve puerto rico better. what we have in this country is a mutual aid compact among states. we're celebrating the fifth anniversary of hurricane sandy today in new york. we had about 25 states send utility trucks to new york to help us through hurricane sandy. so rather than going to one private company, the governor saying he wants to exercise mutual aid where he asks other states to send down trucks crews and poll diggers and poll setters and linemen and a then reimbursed through the federal government under this mutual aid. but i know just from the state of new york, i can send down hundred hundreds of utility crews. in the long run that's the faster way to get this done anything. i think he's doing a smart think thing. >> the governor has

whitefish insisted that her comments were misplaced, cruz response, it is whitefish energy feels asking for transparency is misplaced what are they afraid we will find? whitefish shot back with the threat to leave writing we have got 44 lineman rebuilding power lines in your city and 40 more men just arrived, do you want us to send them back or keep working? the company late's pol guyed, lawmakers are eager to know how whitefish got the job in the first place. >> my biggest concern is we don't have enough information as to the process that went through. >> reporter: other question can whitefish fulfill its end of the deal. >> this is a pretty small company, are they capable have doing the job that is needed here. >> reporter: politicians on capitol hill from both side are calling for an investigation into the white fish contract. nicki batiste for cbs-3 "eyewitness news". >>> still ahead president george hw bush is facing accusations that he in a prep eighthly touched an actress from our area. >>> also ahead wild fires spread nothing an area designated as a world heritage side we will t

whitefish, evidentemente, no tenÍa suficientes empleados. por eso los subcontrata. se hace esa labor con menos costo. no es necesario ayuda para reestablecer el servicio con este costo. lili: el director ejecutivo de la energÍa elÉctrica justifica la contrataciÓn. >> fue en estar seguros y tranquilos de que aquÍ no ha habido nada ilegal, ni que fue estera de procedimiento. esto es un chisme que viene de estados unidos. lili: la oposiciÓn polÍtica denuncia que el contrato se otorgÓ sin que medie hace la subasta. el proceso se obvio gracias a una orden ejecutiva de emergencia que firmÓ ricardo rosellÓ tras el paso de "irma". rosellÓ pidió una auditorÍa. la junta de control fiscal, impuesta por el congreso para supervisar las finanzas del gobierno de puerto rico, nombrÓ a un sÍndico para fiscalizar las labores de recuperaciÓn en el sistema energÉtico. la congresista nydia velÁzquez pidiÓ la intervención de la junta sobre este asunto. el presidente recursos naturales de la cÁmara exigiÓ el director ejecutivo de la autoridad energÍa elÉctrica entregar los documentos invo

it will let whitefish carry out its work here in the meantime.streets just today talking to puerto ricans, there is a sense of frustration that is just palpable. it has been a month and many are still without power. frustrated because many have lost their jobs because of businesses that cannot open at this time. on a day when only 29.7% of the power generated capabilities is up and running. puerto ricans continue their frustration with the power system. christine, dave. >> yeah. leyla santiago, thank you so much for that. you can say this is a scrappy company that say we can get this done. guys up there hanging off helicopters getting the work done. so you could say they got in there quickly. on the other hand they're like, no, no, no. was too quit. we need more scrutiny. you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. >> a rush to judgment on one direction and now it seems a rush to judgment the other way. settle down, slow down and take a look at this deal. >> they are out there doing the work. >> do they have what it takes to get puerto rico bac

whitefish energy is based in this two bed room house in north western montana. the two year old company 4 become the center of attention and it was too much for the governor. >> it is interfering with everything and doesn't go towards the best interest of the people of puerto rico. >> three hours after the governor's surprise announcement ricardo ramos head of the puerto rican electrical power authority announced that the contract will be cancelled, but only after whitefish completes its current work. >> it becomes effective in 30 days. >> so far ramos says whitefish has been paid nearly $11 million. and there is another $9.8 million payment that is pending. the company which has hired more than 350 people to do the work in puerto rico says it's very disappointed in the decision by the governor to ask that the contract be cancelled. adding that it will only delay what the people of puerto rico want and deserve. >> if the governor gets his way in and that contract is cancelled the governor wants to bring in more power crews from new york and florida. a lot of peo

full-time employees based in whitefish, montana.is the hometown of interior secretary, ryan zinke. now, members of congress say that's fishy. they're calling for a review. our rene marsh is all over it for us. this is not just democrats. this is not just split down partisan line. this is republicans and democrats that want answers. >> reporter: they're very curious about the process of how all this went down. whether this is a coincidence as far as these connections or something more coordinated remains unclear, but this morning, there are calls for a full-fledged investigation coming from capitol hill. how many employees does it take to win the biggest power restoration contract in puerto rico? well, just two, at a company in northwest montana. that unlikely answer is now puzzling many in washington. >> this is our mobile command center that we brought down for the storm. >> reporter: whitefish energy holdings is just two years old and had just two staffers when hurricane maria struck puerto rico last month. yet on september 26th,

. >> the ceo of whitefish energy told nbc news he had nothing to hide. >> there's people out there on a witch hunt looking for something that doesn't exist. he first contacted the power authority after hurricane irma in september. >> i found them on linkedin. >> you used linkedin to get a $300 million contract? >> yes. >> ryan zinke, also from whitefish, montana, say they had nothing to do with the contract. fema said they had significant

andy and whitefish have experience in mountainous regions. they wanted to do business in puerto rico and they got there. >> what's your take, governor? is it as simple as that? >> no, no, it's not. there's nothing wrong when someone from montana wants to do business in puerto rico, they're more than welcome. the fact is the $300 million deal for a two-person condition when prepa have these deals with power companies in this state, to exchange personnel for less cost to the public. it's not an issue of the legality, or they signed the right paper or the right side of the paper or the right form. it's an issue of serve the best interest of puerto rico and the power authority. and i think there is consensus out there when the power authority have that exchange opportunity with other authorities like coal company in new york that is ready to send more than 300 people technicians from their company to puerto rico to do the job for less money, i think it's something that needs to be reviewed. and i'm worried that their discussion here in the island

whitefish energy holdings said it's very disappointed that authorities in puerto rico have canceled its three hundred million dollars contract to get the island's electric grid back up and running according to a company spokesman whitefish already brought hundreds of workers to the island and completed critical work that will soon lead to half a million people in san juan getting power but puerto rico's governor rick adora say yo just wanted the contract cancelled all the help perhaps have already. got somebody. who are the. only. one. who has really. made. whitefish his contract with puerto rico's power utility had come under increased criticism after it was revealed that the terms were obtained without a competitive public bidding process it's been several weeks since hurricane maria hit puerto rico seventy five percent of homes and businesses still lack of electricity the governor rosales said he hopes that thirty percent of the power would be restored to the island by the end of october. i'll have a full fifteen minutes of business for you next hour. ben thank you now it's been evol

whitefish energy deploying crews across the island but two audits of that contract are now under way, and members of congress are asking for an investigation. how did they really land that deal? abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl leading us off. >> reporter: the white house today firmly denied the federal government had anything to do with the controversial $300 million contract to restore puerto rico's electricity grid, a contract that went to a montana company with just two employees, but clear political ties to the trump administration. >> and can you say definitively that the fact that the primary, that one of the primary investors in this company was a major donor to the trump campaign had nothing to do with the fact that this contract was awarded? >> right. the federal government, as i said, has nothing to do with this contract or the process. this was something solely determined by the puerto rican government. >> reporter: the company, whitefish energy, is just two years old. before this, it's largest federal contract was just over $1 million. about 1/300th the

. >> and whitefish whitewash. the company would had two employees when it was awarded a $300 million contract threatens to pull their workers off the island after calls for transparenc transparency. >>> we're going to begin this morning with the republican party looking more like the party of trump as the president declares a united front heading into the fight over tax cuts. the first big test of that unity will be in the house. just 90 minutes from now. i'm talking about the budget. i have a great team here to help me break it down, starting with my friend peter alexander at the white house. peter what exactly is the white house saying about the budget bill and do they have the votes? i mean, they need them if they want to move at all on tax reform. >> that's right, stephanie. the white house, as you would imagine, says it's optimistic, of course, they need this budget plan to pass to keep to this desired timetable by the end of the year. two senior administration officials here telling me that the best case sce

whitefish based in his hometown.sh say zinke played no role in the contract and the company says colinetta didn't either white fish officials were willing to work for $2 million up front while prepa was considering, wanted $25 million. tonight puerto rico's governor will be reviewing the contracting process. anthony. >>> when rock 'n' roll was born in the 50s and 60s, stars, elvis, chuck berry, jerry lee lewis and fats domino. his piano and baritone set the stage for acts that followed him. well fats passed away of natural causes just across the river from his beloved hometown of new orleans. he was 89. anthony mason has the story of his life and remarkable career. >> once again, fats domino. >> fats domino a show stopping piano player with a soothing baritone voice. ♪ i'm walking >> most powerful and popular of a generation of keyboardists. domino rocked into public consciousness in the 1950s. with the "fat man." >> because i went to. >> his dynamic style and warm vocals drew crowd and inspired musicians some who be

, and interior secretary ryan zinke who is also from whitefish, montana, population 7,200, and knows one of the company's owners. zinke today denied he had any knowledge whatsoever of the contract, but whitefish also has ties to energy secretary rick perry. >> we will continue to support the work to restore power in the virgin islands, and puerto rico. the company's main financial backer, dallas based hbc investments, was founded by joe colonnetta. colonnetta, and his wife donated more than $75,000 to support perry's campaigns between 2008 and 2012. in 2013, perry appointed spokesperson says political connections had no influence whatsoever on awarding the contract. >> the contract speaks for itself. the ail built to get the work done. >> but the governor of puerto rico has asked for a full rev w review. >> if there is wrong doing in this process or any process there will be hell to pay. >> let's get to jon karl. you just received a response from energy secretary rick perry tonight? consider david the response comes from perry's spokesperson who says the department quote was not invo

whitefish is located in this little two-bedroomhouse. it had become the center of attention and too much for the governor. >> it's interfering with everybody and doesn't go against the best interest. that's where i come up with it. >> they announce thad the contract will be canceled but only after whitefish completes its current work. >> it becomes effect active in >> so far whitefish has been paid nearly $11 million and there's another $9.8 million payment pend. the company which has hired more than 350 people to do the work in puerto rico says it's very disappointing, the decision by the governor asking that the contract be delayed, adding it's what the people of puerto rico want and deserve. >> they want to brick in more power crews from new york and florida. now, a lot of people have asked how did the whitefish energy company get in contact. the ceo said during an interview he used the social media site linkedin hurricane maria made landfall. >>> cbs news confirms two navy s.e.a.l.s are being looked at. sergeant was found dead. they

the terrain is extremely difficult here. >> reporter: whitefish, montana, is the hometown of u.s. interior secretary ryan zinke, though his office said he had nothing to do with the contract. a founding partner of a private equity firm donated thousands of dollars to the trump campaign. top democrats demanding an investigation as they ask for more federal aid. >> this next bill will be very, very substantial. not at the mercy of cronyism and incompetence as i believe the whitefish contract was. >> reporter: today puerto rico's financial oversight board said it would appoint an emergency manager to oversee the bankrupt power utility which approved the whitefish contract. >> i don't have an objection to a collaboration. i do have an objection to a takeover. >> reporter: the governor is calling that appointment a case of federal overreach. about three-quarters of this island remains in the dark. the death toll here is up to 51, including two more cases of a rare bacterial disease after the storm. lester? >> gabe gutierrez in san juan, puerto rico, for us. thanks. >>> still ahead toni

it will let whitefish carry out its work here in the meantime. as i have been on the streets just today talking to puerto ricans, there is a sense of frustration that is just palpable. it has been a month and many are still without power. frustrated because many have lost their jobs because of businesses that cannot open at this time. on a day when only 29.7% of the power generated capabilities is up and running. puerto ricans continue their frustration with the power system. christine, dave. >>> leyla santiago for us in san one. two members of the famed s.e.a.l. team 6 of the killing of an army green beret in mali. an "ncis" investigation is is under way in the june death of army staff sergeant logan melgar. the "new york times" was the first to report that his death was ruled death by strangulation. >> he was special forces engineer sergeant with the third special forces group. that's the primary unit responsible for army special ops in northwest africa, including mali and niger. the four american soldiers killed in niger earlier this month wer

here's a spokesperson for whitefish just in the last hour.procurement people at prepa. the contract speaks for itself is the ability to get the work done. >> reminder, this morning 74% of puerto rico still does not have power. gabe gutierrez is live in san juan for us. we had a look at the contract this morning. there's one piece in it that goes over audits done by the government, right? talk us through it. >> reporter: hi, there, hallie. good morning. that part of the contract is getting attention. let me read you from that contract. quote, in no event shall prepa, the comptroller or any representatives have the right to audit or review the cost and profit elements of the labor rates specified herein. basically, you can't audit this contract. despite that the governor ordered an audit. he's expecting results of the initial part of that audit, the one done by the puerto rican office of management and budget. he's expecting those initial results today. we have no time frame on that. but he said it's coming out at some point in time. he's waiti

now governor ricardo rossello is choosing to scrap the island's controversial contract with whitefish energy amid audits and congressional investigations. >> it had become a significant distraction. >> reporter: but replacing whitefish could delay restoration by 10 to 12 weeks. rossello is blasting the army corps of engineers for what he calls a lack of urgency. >> that's why the mutual aid assistance from the state of new york and the state of florida are going to be critical. >> reporter: critics of the whitefish deal, like san juan's mayor, are asking why mutual aid wasn't brought in sooner instead of rushing a $300 million contract. >> it is corruption. somebody greased the wheels. >> reporter: the head of the power authority here insists there was nothing illegal and that whitefish had been doing its job. the company's ceo, andy techmanski, told nbc news his critics were on a witch hunt and that he landed the deal with the help of linkedin, not anyone from the trump administration. >> we're here doing actual work. >> reporter: now, officials say other companies, like oklahoma-bas

whitefish energy is from whitefish, montana, population just over 7,000. hometown of interior secretary ryan zinke. >> look, i've been at this for 25 years, and this does not pass the smell test. >> reporter: zinke's office telling abc news he knows the owner because they both live in a small town. adding that the secretary's son worked a summer job at the company. but today, his office was emphatic. "neither the secretary, nor anyone in his office, have taken any meetings or action on behalf of this company." whitefish says they're simply the best team for the job, pointing out they use helicopters and repair buckets that reach 70 feet higher than typical power trucks. >> we specialize in difficult and mountainous terrain projects. >> every day that they're without power is a day that economy isn't functioning, it's another day people are suffering. >> reporter: david, purt lee cope's governor said today they had little choice, that whitefish was the one company willing to do the work without payment upfront. but he added the contract will be audited. dav

well, it didn't hurt that whitefish energy is based in whitefish, montana, the hometown of interior secretary ryan zinke, and that zinke's son had a summer job at one of the company's construction sites. well, there's a co-inky-zinke! plus, it turns out it was a "no-bid contract." no competition. none. that's like the last guy on earth naming himself "people's" sexiest man alive. ( laughter ) double issue. it's a double issue. you find out all about him. favorite pastimes, staring. scrounging for canned goods. ( laughter ) now, the mayor of san juan, and woman who did not sign up for this stuff, carmen yulin cruz, has demanded that the contract be voided for ethical reasons. to which whitefish replied, tweeting, "we've got 44 linemen rebuilding power lines in your city and 40 more men just arrived. do you want us to send them back or keep working?" oh, snap! ...is what all of the power lines in puerto rico did, so stop bitching and get to work, andy techmanski, if that is your name -- which it is not -- you know -- a smattering of techmanski fans here tonight. ( laughter ) there have been a l

in the aftermath puerto rico authorities quickly signed a deal with whitefish energy, the company athis controversy. in the past week oi’ this controversy. in the past week or $0 this controversy. in the past week or so it has been revealed that companiesjust or so it has been revealed that companies just two years old and has very little if any experience with work on this scale. it has also been revealed, crucially, that the company is headquartered in the hometown of us interior secretary ryanis hometown of us interior secretary ryan is inky, who has denied any wrongdoing and said he was not involved in the dealmaking process. that hasn't stopped the white house from distancing itself from the deal oi’ from distancing itself from the deal or democrats on capitol hill from calling for investigations. on the island the puerto rican governor has called for the deal to be cancelled and he has said he has requested for repair teams to come in from florida and new york. the open question now is whether any of this will slow down recovery efforts on the island where 70% of people still d

whitefish energy is based in whitefish, montana. guess what. that's the hometown of interior secretary ryan zeinke, who used to represent montana in this body. his son even works for the company. the chief executive of whitefish, andy, knows secretary zinke but as a spokesperson for the interior department said, everybody knows everybody. guess what, that doesn't make me feel any better about the deal. go a little deeper and you find out that whitefish is financed by h.b.c. investments which is a private equity firm founded by joe who holds the title of general partner, the daily beast reported that he gave $20,000 to the trump victory p.a.c., maxed out contributions to trump for his presidential campaign in the primaries and general elections, about $32,000. then another $30,000 that he gave to the republican national committee. kimberly, his wife, was also a maximum donor, meaning she gave the maximum allowed during the law during the 2016 elections to trump and his various committees. now, please look here. the pictures are right off of the

what's going on with respect to this and the whitefish allegation? >> reporter: as you mentioned, awaiting a joint news conference between the mayor of san juan and bernie sanders. if you've followed the story you recognize the spot we're standing in. a shelter where many people spent the storm, bernie sanders, senator bernie sanders visiting this area and that news conference expected to start within a few minutes. plenty of aid, bottled water, and supplies. is this aid getting to people who need it quickly enough and is enough being down restore power? you mentioned ali, a controversy over whitefish, more than 300 contractors on the island but questions raised whether this contract was properly awarded with a company with just two full-time employees at the time maria made landfall. saying the front of government had nothing to do with this or the interior secretary. the company says the same thing, but, again, a lot of people on capitol hill and here in puerto rico are wondering whether enough was done to make sure this contract was above board. n

whitefish is a tiny, two-year- old energy company based in whitefish, montana, where president trump's interior secretary, ryan zinke, is from. until recently, whitefish had only two employees, though it's hired more than 300 workers for the puerto rico job. zinke has said he had nothing to do with awarding the contract. so did the federal emergency management agency. the department of homeland security, which oversees fema, and congress are reviewing the deal. 39 days after maria made landfall on the island where 3.5 million american citizens live, 70% of homes and businesses don't have power. 20% don't have drinkable running water. just days after the u.s. house of representatives voted to impose new sanctions on iran over its missile program, iran's president is vowing to continue it. iranian president hassan rouhani made the remark in a televised speech to parliament today. >> ( translated ): to defend ourselves, our territorial integrity and our nation, we will not hesitate to build, produce, store and, when necessary for self-defense, to use any weapon of any type needed. >> sree