{"id":2592,"date":"2018-09-16T12:28:36","date_gmt":"2018-09-16T16:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/press.nbcnews.com\/?p=2592"},"modified":"2018-09-16T12:28:36","modified_gmt":"2018-09-16T16:28:36","slug":"mtp-fema-administrator-brock-long-on-hurricane-maria-death-toll-the-numbers-are-all-over-the-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nbcuniversalnewsgroup.com\/nbcnews\/2018\/09\/16\/mtp-fema-administrator-brock-long-on-hurricane-maria-death-toll-the-numbers-are-all-over-the-place\/","title":{"rendered":"MTP: FEMA ADMINISTRATOR BROCK LONG ON HURRICANE MARIA DEATH TOLL: ‘THE NUMBERS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE’"},"content":{"rendered":"

ALSO: Long on Reports White House Considered Replacing Him: \u201cSecretary Nielsen Has Never Asked Me to Resign\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Adam Schiff On Impact Of Manafort Plea: “Anyone Who Gets Indicted By Bob Mueller Goes Down”<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

EXCLUSIVE: Alan Dershowitz on Manafort Deal: \u201cA Very Bad Day for the Trump Administration\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

SEPTEMBER 16, 2018 \u2013 In an interview this morning on Meet the Press, <\/i>FEMA Administrator Brock Long<\/b> argued to moderator Chuck Todd that findings from multiple academic studies about the number of deaths attributed to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico were “all over the place,” adding that “I think the president is being taken out of context there.”<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cWhat happens is\u2026 you might see more deaths indirectly occur as time goes on because people have heart attacks due to stress. They fall off their house trying to fix their roof. They die in car crashes because they went through an intersection where the stoplights weren’t working… There’s all kinds of studies on this that we take a look at. Spousal abuse goes through the roof. You can’t blame spousal abuse, you know, after a disaster on anybody.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span>Long also denied reports that Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen recently asked him to step down in the midst of an investigation into whether he misused government vehicles in traveling to and from his home in North Carolina on the weekends, saying: \u201cSecretary Nielsen has never asked me to resign…these vehicles are designed to provide secure communications and the program was actually developed in 2008 \u2014 it ran for me the same way it’s run for anybody else. It\u2019s my understanding that maybe some policies were not developed around these vehicles that we will clear up.\u201d Watch the full interview.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Also this morning in an exclusive interview, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)<\/b>, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, <\/b>spoke about Friday\u2019s announcement that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has reached a plea deal with Paul Manafort to cooperate in the Russia inquiry: \u201cThis sends a message to anyone who is in Bob Mueller’s crosshairs right now, you better get to the special counsel and make your deal now. Because anyone who gets indicted by Bob Mueller goes down. And the longer you wait to come clean, the worse deal you’re gonna get, the more time you’re gonna face.\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Schiff later added: \u201cI thought he would hold out for pardon….But also Paul Manafort had to conclude watching the whole Michael Cohen saga, that trust and loyalty with Trump run in one direction only. You’re loyal to him, he’s not loyal to you. And so I think that sealed the deal.\u201d Watch the full interview<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz<\/b> also joined the broadcast and provided this assessment on Paul Manafort\u2019s recent plea agreement: \u201cI think both Manafort and President Trump acted too late. Manafort, if he was gonna make a deal, should’ve made it before he was convicted\u2026.And President Trump, if he was gonna pardon, he should’ve pardoned before Manafort agreed to cooperate….So there’s not going to be any pardon now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dershowitz also disagreed with President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani that Manafort\u2019s plea deal isn\u2019t as bad for the president as some believe: \u201cThis was a very bad day for the Trump administration. It’s bad because he doesn’t know what Manafort is saying.\u201d Watch the full interview.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Todd also spoke with New Bern, NC Mayor Dana Outlaw<\/b> this morning, who provided an update on Hurricane Florence relief efforts in his city : \u201cWe’re very concerned right now about trees that are continuing to fall down because of the saturated ground conditions,\u201d adding, \u201cat this time, we’re urging residents to stay inside and to not travel.\u201d Watch the full interview<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

This week, the Meet the Press Film Festival in Collaboration with the American Film Institute<\/i><\/b> (AFI) announced its 2018 film slate highlighting pressing issues ahead of the midterm elections. Read more<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

PBS\u2019 Yamiche Alcindor<\/b>, National Review\u2019s Rich Lowry<\/b>, The Wall Street Journal\u2019s Peggy Noonan<\/b> and presidential historian and author of \u201cLeadership: In Turbulent Times\u201d Doris Kearns Goodwin<\/b> joined the broadcast\u2019s roundtable<\/span><\/a> for insight and analysis on the week in politics.<\/p>\n

Read the full transcript<\/a><\/span> of Meet the Press<\/i> this morning, and follow the show on Twitter<\/span><\/a> and on Facebook<\/span><\/a> for the latest.<\/p>\n

PLEASE CREDIT: NBC NEWS\u2019 MEET THE PRESS WITH CHUCK TODD<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n