'Totally outraged': Colorado Democrat calls out Trump for using COVID-19 ventilators as political favors

A Colorado Democrat called out President Donald Trump for apparently directing 100 ventilators to her state as a political favor to a vulnerable Republican senator.

Rep. Diana DeGette told CNN that she believes the badly needed medical equipment was sent to Colorado and announced on Twitter by the president was intended as a political gift to Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), who is facing a tough re-election battle.

"It seems that way to me," DeGette said. "I was totally outraged."

DeGette said the decision came after Democratic Gov. Jared Polis asked for 10,000 ventilators to handle the coronavirus outbreak, and the governor eventually reached a deal with a private company for 500 ventilators while waiting for Federal Emergency Management Agency to make a decision.

FEMA stopped that contract from going through after learning of the deal, and Trump announced Wednesday that Colorado would get 100 ventilators from the national stockpile after Gardner called him the night before.

DeGette called some House Democrats after Trump's tweet, according to two sources on the call, and she accused Vice President Mike Pence of "lying" about the process for sending out ventilators.