Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) unloaded on Democrat President Joe Biden on Tuesday following reports that the Biden administration has worked out a deal with Germany to allow for the completion of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
“The Biden administration will set aside Washington’s longstanding opposition to the pipeline, Nord Stream 2, in a reversal of U.S. policy, ending years of speculation over the fate of the project, which has come to dominate European energy-sector forecasts,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “Germany under the agreement will agree to assist Ukraine in energy-related projects and diplomacy.”
Former President Donald Trump worked aggressively to stop the pipeline from being completed because it would be a major strategic win for Russia. Biden previously waived sanctions against the company that is building the pipeline and waived sanctions against its CEO, which sparked intense backlash from lawmakers.
Cruz responded to the news by saying that Biden was defying U.S. law and has surrendered to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“If the reports and details of a deal are accurate, this will be a generational geopolitical win for Putin and a catastrophe for the United States and our allies,” Cruz said. “President Biden is defying U.S. law and has utterly surrendered to Putin. Decades from now, Russian dictators will still be reaping billions from Biden’s gift, and Europe will still be subject to Russian energy blackmail.”
“We always knew Biden was in bed with Putin, now they’re spooning,” Cruz added.
Sen. Ted Cruz: Reports of Deal to Finish Nord Stream 2 Pipeline a ‘Catastrophe for the US and Our Allies’
“We always knew Biden was in bed with Putin, now they’re spooning.” pic.twitter.com/lOaRvoKYk9
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 20, 2021
“President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel failed to settle their differences over the undersea pipeline when they met last week, but agreed Moscow must not be allowed to use energy as a weapon against its neighbors,” Reuters reported. “In addition to assurances by Germany about its willingness to ‘reverse flow’ gas to Ukraine if Russia ever cuts off supplies to Eastern Europe, the sources said the agreement would include a pledge by both countries to invest in Ukraine’s energy transformation, energy efficiency and energy security.”
A report from May alleged that a lobbyist for the foreign partners of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline gave thousands of dollars to President Joe Biden’s campaign and a pro-Biden super PAC.
The Center for Responsive Politics reports:
McLarty managing partner Richard Burt, the former U.S. Ambassador to West Germany and a member of several influential Washington think-tanks, reported lobbying for a slate of foreign companies that have partnered on the project on “Russian sanctions issues” and “natural gas as an element of European energy security.” Burt donated $2,000 to Biden’s 2020 campaign and $10,000 to pro-Biden super PAC Unite the Country while he was a registered lobbyist for foreign companies partnering with Nord Stream on the pipeline. Biden’s campaign had not refunded Burt’s money at the time of publication, more than 6 months after the donations were given, despite pledging to reject lobbyist donations.
Because firms working for proponents of the pipeline registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act instead of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, details of which government officials the lobbyists met with remain hidden from the public.
Scooplet: A lobbyist lobbying for foreign partners of Russia's Nord Stream 2 gave $10k to pro-Biden super PAC Unite the Country & $2k to Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign—which hadn't refunded his money 6+ months later despite pledging to reject lobbyist donations https://t.co/mZ7nfajc6Q pic.twitter.com/1SADitOLpZ
— Anna Massoglia (@annalecta) May 20, 2021