If Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello is not blasting President Donald Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria, he must be shading the truth, the number-two Democrat in the House of Representatives suggested Thursday.

Rossello has messed up the Democratic narrative, steadfastly refusing to join in the Trump bashing of outspoken San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. Other officials on the island also have given Trump high marks.

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But House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), appearing on CNN to discuss the $29 billion the White House has requested in disaster relief for the island territory, insinuated that Rossello is offering a less-than-unvarnished description of the administration’s performance.

“But when Gov. Rossello, when the president was down there, was very complimentary of everything the president and the White House and the administration has done, you say you don’t believe it?” asked CNN anchor Kate Bolduan.

Hoyer suggested Rossello is playing defensive politics.

“Kate, I think that Gov. Rossello knows he’s dealing with President Trump and a Republican administration,” he said. “He wants to make sure he’s on good terms with them. But very frankly, I’m gonna urge the governor to tell us exactly what he needs, exactly what the condition is on the ground, and frankly, be animated about getting that to them.”

Hoyer said the government has the ability to recuse the island but needs the will to do so.

Bolduan tried again.

“But Congressman, do you think he’s not telling the truth?” she asked.

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Hoyer reached for nuance.

“No, I wouldn’t ascribe that to Gov. Rossello at all,” he said. “I think he might be tempering what he’s saying to the president. You’d have to ask him on that. But I’m going to be talking to him hopefully later on today, and I’m going to urge him to as accurately and fully explain what is needed, what is being done, but more importantly, what is not being done to save lives, to intervene in areas that otherwise are inaccessible.”

Hoyer also suggested that the federal government might not do all it can if Rossello takes a low-key approach. He said Rossello has to “energize both the Puerto Rican infrastructure and resources in terms of human capital on Puerto Rico.”

(photo credit, homepage images: Ricardo Rossello, cropped, CC-BY-SA-4.0, by Rr2917; photo credit, article images: Ricardo Rossello, cropped, CC-BY-SA-4.0, by Alexom20)