Politics

Report: Trump Halted Probe Into Puerto Rico 'Drugs for Votes' Scheme

Is Trump protecting an ally or are Democrats smearing him as they attempt to leverage Puerto Rico for their own agenda?

6 days ago·Updated 4 days ago

Report: Trump Halted Probe Into Puerto Rico 'Drugs for Votes' Scheme

story

Above: An inmate casts a referendum ballot at a prison in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, on June 9, 2017. Image credit: Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Democratic narrative

A prison gang traded drugs for votes to benefit Puerto Rico's Trump-aligned governor, and federal prosecutors were shut down before they could pursue charges. The investigation was killed right after Trump won the election — a stunning coincidence that reeks of political protection. Letting election fraud slide to shield a political ally makes a mockery of the administration's self-proclaimed war on corruption.

The Office of Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández ProPublica

Republican narrative

While Democrats push to make Puerto Rico a state to lock in permanent electoral power, federal law enforcement is actually doing the hard work — seizing over a thousand kilograms of cocaine and securing convictions against violent drug traffickers. Democrats want to pack courts and manufacture new states to guarantee one-party rule. Real election integrity means prosecuting criminals, not exploiting statehood schemes for partisan gain.

Rapid Response 47 on X

Donald Trump on United States Department of Justice