CNN’s Tapper Grills Kudlow Over PPP’s Lack of Transparency: ‘About As Swampy a Deal as I Can Ever Imagine’

CNN’s Jake Tapper pressed White House National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow on Sunday over the Trump administration’s refusal to disclose which corporations benefited the most from the government’s effort to alleviate the economic impact of the coronavirus.

Kudlow presented an optimistic outlook on State of the Union, saying “we are in the recovery stage” as he forecast rapid job and financial recovery. Tapper noted that the economic situation remains dire, however, and he turned to the news that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has reversed on his promise to disclose which large corporations received massive amounts of federal aid from the Paycheck Protection Program.

“He reversed course and he said the government would not release the names of those companies,” Tapper began. “I can understand why the Trump administration might think that a company that receives a $25,000 loan doesn’t need that information released. I get that. But some companies are getting millions if not tens of millions of dollars. Don’t the American people have a right to know where their money is going?”

Kudlow responded by insisting that “a lot” of businesses “that shouldn’t have qualified” have returned the money they were given. As Kudlow continued to defend Mnuchin’s transparency, Tapper cut in to remind him “He said we would report to the public.”

“That’s us, the American people and we have a right to know where these tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars have gone,” Tapper said. “If there’s no problem with it, if everything’s fine with it, great. but otherwise, it is about as swampy a deal as I can ever imagine.”

Kudlow went on by insisting that in terms of disclosing every company that received aid, “I don’t think that promise was ever made and I don’t think it’s necessary.”

Watch above, via CNN.