George Washington University’s Milken Institute of Public Health on Thursday stood by its finding that nearly 3,000 more Americans died in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria compared to the expected number of deaths during that time period. The institute’s study was commissioned by Puerto Rico’s governor.
That contradicts the conspiracy theory President Donald Trump offered Thursday morning, in which he asserted Democrats invented the number to make him look bad.
Statement from George Washington University:
“We stand by the science underlying our study which found there were an estimated 2,975 excess deaths in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.” pic.twitter.com/P6Tbp5mTcl
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 13, 2018
