Top Republican reveals Biden’s ‘secret’ failed oil deal with Saudis to try to boost production will be part of their wide-ranging investigation into the White House
- “This committee has a responsibility to uncover the facts surrounding backdoor deals made by President Biden or his envoys,” Rep Comer wrote
- “The President prefers foreign sources to domestic sources – all for political reasons,” added the senior member
- Comer cited a story about how White House officials used back channels to reach an agreement for OPEC+ to increase its oil production in the spring
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are exploring a backroom deal between the Biden administration and Saudi Arabia to boost oil production, which they say has shunned domestic production.
“This committee has a responsibility to uncover the facts surrounding backdoor deals made by President Biden or his envoys. The President prefers foreign sources to domestic sources — all for political reasons,” senior MP James Comer, R-Ky., wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“When his administration is behind the door market manipulation with opposing nations while jeopardizing our national security in order to achieve more favorable electoral conditions for the Democrats, the American people have a right to know.”
Comer cited an October New York Times story about how White House officials used back channels to reach a deal for OPEC+ to increase its oil production in the spring.
“This committee has a responsibility to uncover the facts surrounding backdoor deals made by President Biden or his envoys. The President prefers foreign sources to domestic sources — all for political reasons,” Senior Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., wrote in a letter
When President Biden announced his trip to Saudi Arabia in June, he believed the deal to increase production was already sealed and the trip would “reinforce Saudi commitment to persuade OPEC to increase oil production.”
Biden then met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in July, prompting an outcry over meeting a human rights abuser and the man known to have been involved in the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi. Biden had long promised to make Khashoggi an “outcast.”
During the visit, Biden was seen in a viral photo punching bin Salman with his fist.
According to the secret proposal, OPEC+ was supposed to boost production for several months and then boost it again in September ahead of the midterm elections. Instead, on October 5, the Saudis dropped a bombshell on the Biden administration that they would instead cut oil production to prop up fuel prices by two million barrels a day.
A week later, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud confirmed that the US had asked the Saudis to “postpone” production cuts until after the midterm elections.
On Sunday, OPEC+, which includes Russia, agreed to maintain that target.
In the letter, Comer requested documents and communications related to the deal, as well as a transcribed interview with Amos Hochstein, the government’s special envoy and coordinator for international affairs at the State Department.
During the visit, Biden was seen in a viral photo punching bin Salman with his fist
On October 5, the Saudis bombed the Biden administration that they would instead cut oil production to prop up fuel prices by two million barrels a day
The Biden administration reacted furiously to the announced cut, with the president pledging to “reevaluate” the US relationship with the Saudis.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby accused the Saudis of working to “increase Russian revenue and weaken the effectiveness of sanctions.”
Gas prices hitting $5 a gallon in the summer and inflation at highs not seen in 40 years distressed the White House and required oil companies to increase production after months of tightening regulation of oil and gas leases States and waters suspended and canceled the Keystone XL pipeline in the name of fighting climate change.