Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki directly about the Biden administration’s attempts to spin the still-rising gas prices as the direct result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Doocy asked about the phrase being used both by President Joe Biden and by some in media — “Putin’s price hike” — and appeared to suggest that it was a coordinated effort to “rebrand” the rising gas prices in such a way as to avoid fault.
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
“Why did you guys decide to rebrand the rising gas prices as the #PutinPriceHike?” Doocy asked.
“I mean, if you want to use that on Fox, I welcome that,” Psaki pushed back.
Doocy continued to press, noting both that gas prices had been rising for months prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and that the Biden administration had laid the blame for the rising costs on a series of other things as they occurred.
“We have heard the President warn for months the 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 #PutinPriceHike, why are we just hearing that now?” he asked.
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
“Well, Peter, if we go back to six months ago, I don’t think anybody was predicting that we would be exactly where we are as it relates to Russia and Ukraine,” Psaki replied. “As you know, events in the world, including the invasion by Russia of a foreign country, does prompt instability and volatility in the global oil market.”
Psaki went on to say that the Russian buildup of troops and the concern that he might be considering an invasion of Ukraine had led to some of that instability and volatility, causing prices to begin their rapid climb earlier in the year.
Doocy then pivoted to domestic oil production, asking whether or not the Biden administration was willing to cut the necessary red tape in order to allow for more oil production in the United States. Psaki pushed back, arguing as she has before that there were thousands of leases already approved that were not being used.
Doocy: "Does…Biden think that each of these 9,000 leases…have oil or gas in them? B/c industry experts are saying that…is a…red herring. Some…are viable & some are not. So when you say that, this represents a fundamental misunderstanding as to how this process works." pic.twitter.com/PtXg9WtYRN
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 9, 2022
“Does President Biden think that each of these 9,000 leases that are available have oil or gas in them? Because industry experts are saying that accusation is a complete red herring. Some permits are viable and some are not. So when you say that, this represents a fundamental misunderstanding as to how this process works,” Doocy asked.
Psaki continued to insist that the oil companies already had all the necessary permits and shouldn’t need “an embroidered invitation” to drill, before pivoting to suggest that the real problem was price gouging. She went on to claim that those oil companies were still raking in “record profits” and making sure that their shareholders were happy with the returns on their investments rather than drilling under the available leases in order to increase production domestically.