Fox News’s Peter Doocy checkmated White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre today over the Biden administration’s claims about gas prices.
Doocy raised the issue as so-called U.S. ally Saudi Arabia is moving to cut OPEC production to raise oil prices, defying Democrat President Joe Biden.
During Tuesday’s press briefing, Doocy had a simple question for Jean-Pierre that she struggled to answer.
“Consumers in California are paying $6.41 per gallon, Nevada $5.51. Who can afford that?” Doocy asked.
Jean-Pierre: “That’s why Biden worked so hard to bring gas prices down.
“I know you’re pulling out a couple of areas — but we have seen the fastest decline in gas prices in a decade.”
Doocy: “You’ve said the president was responsible for gas prices coming down.
“Is he responsible for gas prices going up?”
Jean-Pierre: “So, it’s a lot more nuanced than that.”
WATCH:
Doocy: “You said Biden was responsible for gas prices coming down. Is he responsible for gas prices going up?”
Jean-Pierre: “It’s a lot more nuanced than that.” pic.twitter.com/hATM7mSNqx
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 4, 2022
Doocy continued to hammer Jean-Pierre over gas prices: “When the President went to Saudi Arabia, he said, ‘I’m doing all I can to increase the supply for the United States, which I expect to happen.’
“What happened?”
Jean-Pierre: “His trip to the Middle East was not about oil…
“Gas prices came down this summer.”
Doocy: "Consumers in California are paying $6.41 per gallon, Nevada $5.51. Who can afford that?"
Jean-Pierre: "That's why Biden worked so hard to bring gas prices down. I know you're pulling out a couple areas — but we have seen the fastest decline in gas prices in a decade" pic.twitter.com/rlkMnNTvMg
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 4, 2022
Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) told CNN that the White House needs to retaliate against Saudi Arabia if OPEC slashes oil production.
“This is beyond the pale,” Khanna said.
“They are actively fleecing the American people and destabilizing the economy.
“That’s just outrageous. Who do they think they are?
“It’s outrageous. The Saudis need to be dealt with harshly.
“They are a third-rate power.
“We are the most powerful country in the world.
“I don’t know why we kowtow to them.
“They are not our allies.
“They are hurting the American people.
“And we need to be tough with them.
“The president needs to make it clear we will cut off their supply.
“We could ground their air force in a day,” he said.
According to The Financial Times:
Saudi Arabia is seeking to raise oil prices at a crucial meeting in Vienna in a move set to anger the US and help Russia.
Riyadh, Moscow, and other producers are set to announce deep cuts at a meeting of the Opec+ cartel on Wednesday, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.
The size of the cut is still to be agreed but Saudi Arabia and Russia are pushing for reductions of 1mn-2mn barrels a day or more, although these could be phased in over several months.
The move would probably trigger US countermeasures, including the additional release of oil from the country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, analysts said.
“This is not the Saudi Arabia of old and the US has maybe been a little slow or unwilling to acknowledge that in energy matters,” said Raad Alkadiri, an analyst at Eurasia Group.
