At today’s White House press briefing, Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Jen Psaki if the Biden administration has any plans to reopen the Keystone XL pipeline or cut red tape that is currently preventing domestic energy production. Psaki’s responses to Doocy’s questions were characteristically smug and condescending — and, of course, not even remotely insightful or helpful.
Doocy: "You and the President are both talking about producing energy here, saying…oil & gas companies have 9000 permits to drill now they could be drilling…Would [he] cut red tape to make that possible?"
Psaki: "What red tape needs to be cut when they have the permits?" pic.twitter.com/BoGWIBUPgS
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 9, 2022
THIS. Psaki asks what red tape they have to cut through, and what permits they need.
Maybe somebody can come up with a hashtag to tell @PressSec how the energy industry they're trying to kill actually works. https://t.co/YbdU9buNYI
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) March 9, 2022
You know, it’s funny you should mention hashtags. As it happens, the Biden administration is currently doing their damnedest to get a new hashtag to take off:
For months Putin has been saber-rattling, and for months gas prices have been going up – up 75 cents since he began his military build-up.
This is the #PutinPriceHike in action, and @POTUS is going to use every tool at his disposal to shield Americans from pain at the pump.
— Kate Bedingfield (@WHCommsDir) March 9, 2022
Team Biden is going to live by the promise of hashtag. That’s their solution to increasingly unaffordable gas prices. That’s their answer to Americans demanding to know why the White House is showing a pretty shocking lack of concern for people who are struggling as a direct result of the White House and Democrats’ energy policies.
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Jen Psaki definitely got the memo and is having a field day:
White House Press Sec. Jen Psaki:
"Americans are paying a higher price at the pump because of the actions of President Putin. This is a Putin spike at the gas pump." pic.twitter.com/sooAYaNekB
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 8, 2022
That was yesterday.
She’s doubling down today:
DOOCY: "Why did you guys decide to rebrand the rising gas prices as the #PutinPriceHike?"
Psaki: "I mean, if you want to use that on Fox, I welcome that." pic.twitter.com/Z7yZbB3pO0
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 9, 2022
Something funny, Jen? Care to let us in on the joke?
They want to rebrand it as that because they know the donkeys in the media will regurgitate it https://t.co/M54RONtVPb
— Ahmed Al Assliken (@assliken) March 9, 2022
If Psaki’s counting on the media to help spread it around, she’s likely calculated correctly.
But that doesn’t mean we have to just sit here and let her get away with it:
Doocy to Psaki: "We have heard the President warn for months the gas prices were rising b/c of the supply chain & b/c of post-pandemic demand, if you guys knew for months that this was going to be the #PutinPriceHike, why are we just hearing that now?" pic.twitter.com/ynmUCkdA5c
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 9, 2022
Doocy had Psaki dead to rights, of course. A few reminders:
The receipts on this are EXPANSIVE and media can either carry White House propaganda or consider the actions they’ve taken to drive these prices up well before this crisis took off. pic.twitter.com/qcc8XuFZkM
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) March 9, 2022
The Admin suspended oil and gas leases THE DAY PUTIN INVADED.
“We have 9,000 unused leases” doesn’t mean what you think it means when we had 37,000 last year and right now we’re at a historic lease usage ratehttps://t.co/dTlOAeCfuc
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) March 9, 2022
We’re being gaslit, guys. Don’t let them get away with it.
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