Doocy spars with Psaki on ‘rebranding’ hashtag, corners her on pipeline

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With Americans now experiencing the shock of gas prices that are higher than most have seen in their lifetimes, the Biden administration appears to have settled on a strategy that, while doing nothing to alleviate the skyrocketing costs, could gaslight enough people to avoid retribution at the ballot box come November.

Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine has given what is perhaps the most cynically run White House in history a golden opportunity to shift responsibility away from President Joe Biden’s disastrous energy policies to Vladimir Putin, despite the fact that Americans were already feeling the pain at the pump before Russian tanks rolled across the border.

The White House and its spinmeisters have invented a catchy new phrase, “Putin price hike,” that is designed to shift the blame away from Biden – who on his first day in office canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline – and onto the despised Russian despot.

During Wednesday’s press briefing, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy confronted White House press secretary Jen Psaki about it which she dealt with in her typically smug and snarky manner.

“Why did you guys decide to rebrand the rising gas prices as the hashtag Putin price hike?” Doocy asked.

“I mean if you want to use that on Fox, I welcome that,” Psaki replied.

Doocy shot back, “I think it’ll get a lot of airtime because we have heard the president warn for months that gas prices were rising because of the supply chain and because of post-pandemic demand. If you guys knew for months that this was going to be the Putin price hike, why are we just hearing that now?”

Psaki served up her answer, saying, “Well, Peter, if we go back to six months ago, I don’t think anybody was predicting we would be exactly where we are as it relates to Russia and Ukraine, as you know that events in the world, including the invasion by Russia of a foreign country, does prompt instability and volatility in the global oil markets. And there are all sorts of different issues that can impact that, that’s what we’re seeing now.”

“Outside economists and analysts have conveyed and said publicly that Russia’s invasion, Russia’s buildup of troops, President Putin’s decision to do that very early this year led to a lot of the instability and volatility in the oil markets,” she said, deferring to the experts. “You don’t have to take my word for it.”

“So, therefore, if President Putin’s buildup of military troops is leading to volatility and an increase in oil,  in prices, hence you have Putin pump, gas price pump,” Psaki concluded.

Doocy then shifted to the regime’s interference in the domestic energy industry, asking, “You and the President are both talking about producing energy here, saying that oil and gas companies have 9,000 permits to drill now, they could be drilling right now. Would President Biden cut red tape to make that possible?

Psaki answered with a question, “What red tape needs to be cut when they have the permits, they have the capacity to do it? What’s holding them up?”

The two then sparred over the meaning of permits, with Psaki derisively saying, “I don’t think they need an embroidered invitation to drill.”

The Q & A then turned to the Keystone XL Pipeline, a monumental decision by Biden that made it clear that the domestic energy independence that America had previously enjoyed was no longer to be permitted.

“Is a restart of the Keystone XL construction completely off the table as long as Joe Biden is president?” Doocy asked, trying pin down Biden’s evasive top flack.

An irritated Psaki replied, “Well, why don’t you tell me what that would help address.’

Doocy persisted “I’m asking you if it is an option. You guys say, ‘All options are on the table.’ Is restarting Keystone construction one of them?”

“If we’re trying to bring about more supply, that does not address any problem,” Psaki responded.

But Doocy wouldn’t let up the pressure.

“It’s supply from Canada, a friendly ally, instead of Saudi Arabia or Iran or Venezuela,” he noted, referring to Biden’s outreach to the oil-rich nations with abominable records of human rights abuse.

Psaki continued to squirm, replying, “That…that’s already…we’re already getting that oil, Peter. It’s the pipeline is just the delivery mechanism. It is not an oil field. So it does not provide more supply into the system. It does not address…”

The intrepid reporter finally did manage to get an answer on whether restarting the pipeline was a possibility.

“Is it off the table? Is it possible that Joe Biden will ever say, You guys can go ahead with construction of Keystone XL”? he pressed.

Psaki acknowledged that “There’s no plans for that, and it would not address any of the problems we’re having currently.”

There will be many who will take the bait and swallow the new narrative hook, line and sinker that Biden is not at fault for the de facto tax hike that will add to the woes of Americans who are already being battered by the worst inflation rate in nearly four decades. But the reality is that his policies, which have effectively declared war on the domestic fossil fuel industry, set the table for the dramatic ramp-up in gas prices that are being seen today.

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Chris Donaldson

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