During today’s White House briefing, Jen Psaki was asked about Biden imposing sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline owner after having been opposed to such an action:
Can White House say definitively Nord Stream 2 is dead?@PressSec says not only did Germany announce "it is not moving forward," Biden announced sanctions "and it is not moving forward right now."
Pressed, she adds that the pipeline "is currently dead at the bottom of the sea."
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) February 23, 2022
Psaki also said the White House doesn’t consider Biden opposing sanctions multiple times and then supporting them to be a policy shift:
What's with shift on Nord Stream 2? @PressSec says "we don't see it as a shift at all," adding the White House "never supported the pipeline." Biden felt the "diplomatic approach would be the most effective" as opposed to preemptive sanctions pushed by GOP.
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) February 23, 2022
Another pivot in progress!
Great question from CNN's @KaitlanCollins: "Last month, the WH opposed an effort on Capitol Hill to put sanctions on this pipeline. Last year…Biden waived the sanctions…Today, he is imposing [them]….Can you just explain the changes?"
Psaki says it's not "a shift at all" pic.twitter.com/jIeId1ZgTa
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 23, 2022
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On Nord Stream 2, @PressSec says Biden’s opposition to sanctions last month and Biden’s support of sanctions this month is not a shift in policy
🤨🤨🤨
— Chad Gilmartin (@ChadGilmartinCA) February 23, 2022
We remember pic.twitter.com/2LsFH1TrC8
— 🍀 Tabatha-The Ginger Snap 🇺🇸🏴🇮🇪 (@Winning4Him) February 23, 2022
Gee, it sure seems like a shift.