House Republicans probe 'secret deal' between White House and Saudi Arabia

December 6, 2022

Republican members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee put the Biden administration on notice that they will be investigating a "secret deal" with Saudi Arabia.

Kentucky Rep. James Comer serves as the committee's ranking Republican committee member, and according to The Hill, he sent a letter on Sunday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"This Committee has a responsibility to uncover the facts surrounding any backdoor deals cut by President Biden or his emissaries," Cormer told Blinken.

What's going on?

He then went on to cite an article published by The New York Times in October which reported that the White House had pursued a back channel agreement with Saudi Arabia to boost oil production ahead of this year's midterm elections.

The article noted how that plan fell through as "Saudi Arabia and Russia steered a group of oil-producing countries in voting to slash oil production by two million barrels per day."

The article noted that this left the president angered "as the Democratic Party struggles to deal with inflation and high gas prices heading into the November elections."

In his letter, Comer demanded to know why Biden sought out oil overseas rather than support energy production in America, saying, "The President is choosing foreign sources over domestic source—all for political purposes."

"Backdoor market manipulations"

"If his Administration is engaging in backdoor market manipulations with adversarial nations while jeopardizing our national security for the sake of securing more favorable election conditions for Democrats, the American people have a right to know," he insisted.

"Since President Biden took office, Committee Republicans have repeatedly requested information surrounding the Administration’s fossil fuel supply agenda, including multiple inquiries into Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases done for political gain," Comer went on.

"The New York Times article raises further questions regarding the Administration’s motives related to domestic energy suppression, covert market manipulation disguised as diplomacy, and lack of transparency leading up to the November elections," he complained.

Comer then issued a request for documents relating to the president's July visit to Saudi Arabia as well as documents relating to negotiations for increased oil production.

Ridiculous moves

The Biden administration has long been criticized for pursuing an inconsistent approach when it comes to energy policy.

One of Biden's first acts upon taking office was to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, a move which cost jobs along its proposed route.

However, Fox News reported last month that the administration has granted Chevron permission to resume drilling for oil in Venezuela.

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