On Wednesday, former Secretary of State John Kerry lashed out at President Donald Trump on Twitter, after Trump criticized German officials for allowing Russians to build a natural gas pipeline into their country — but it seems John Kerry only supports the pipeline now that Donald Trump opposes it.
At a NATO breakfast Wednesday, Trump argued with German officials over a natural gas pipeline slated to run from Russia through Germany, supplying Germany with much of its energy. The pipeline, Trump contended, makes Germany reliant on Russia, and given Russia’s history, exposes Germany to a host of national security risks.
Trump told the Germans they were “totally controlled” by Russian interests.
John Kerry, of course, a member of the previous administration which cherishes its close relationship with Germany and its increasingly powerless head of state, lashed back in a statement posted to Twitter, calling Trump’s comments “disgraceful” and a threat to America’s alliance with Germany.
My thoughts on President Trump’s remarks in Brussels this morning: pic.twitter.com/x0k3k0lOkA
— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) July 11, 2018
But, it turns out, well before Trump was ever President, Kerry was making some of the same arguments, attempting to discourage Germany from entering into an agreement with Russia to supply natural gas through the Nord Stream-2 pipeline.
Free Beacon caught the slip, preserved for posterity on Twitter.
Secretary Kerry underscores U.S. view that Nord Stream II would have adverse impact in Europe pic.twitter.com/JA9ElOnMX9
— EnergyAtState (@EnergyAtState) May 4, 2016
“We’re also going to discuss one other specific issue of deep concern to me and to everybody here, and I think that’s the Nord Stream 2 pipeline,” Kerry says in the video. “This project has provoked a very heated debate on both sides of the Atlantic, and we are convinced would absolutely have an adverse impact on Ukraine, on Slovakia, and Eastern Europe. And we cannot lose sight of that.”
His full remarks include a statement where Kerry warns the pipeline will be destructive to “geopolitical stability and global security” — not a fundamentally different statement to Trump’s.
The Free Beacon also caught former Vice President Joe Biden on record saying the Nord Stream 2 would be “destructive,” and would force Germany and much of Eastern Europe into a dangerous relationship with Russia, where they rely on Russia to provide them with most of their energy.
“From our perspective, it looks like a fairly bad deal … Europe needs diverse sources of gas, not, in our view, a new Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and to lock in greater reliance on Russia at this moment … I know will fundamentally destabilize Ukraine,” Biden said.
Oops.