National Economic Council Director Brian Deese dodged Bloomberg anchor Jonathon Ferro’s question Thursday on whether the Biden administration pleaded with OPEC+ members to delay cutting oil production.
The Saudi foreign ministry said Thursday morning that the Biden administration requested a one-month delay to OPEC+’s recent decision to cut oil production by 2 million barrels just days before the U.S. midterm elections. Ferro suggested that the administration’s policies have led to accusations that they are “putting the polls before America’s energy security” before asking Deese to confirm whether the Biden administration asked Saudi Arabia for the delay.
“Are they telling the truth?” Ferro asked.
“Look, we clearly communicated our views to OPEC members that we thought it was shortsighted for them to take the action that they were contemplating, and they announced,” Deese responded.
The economic adviser then pivoted to discussing the administration’s massive drawdown of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is at its lowest level since the 1980s.
“Brian, you didn’t answer the question so I’m going to ask it again,” Ferro said, quoting directly from the statement in which the Saudi government accused Biden of requesting the delay. “Brian, again, it’s a really straight question: Did you ask the Saudis to delay that decision for a month? Are they telling the truth or not?” Ferro asked.
“I’m not going to get on air and disclose private conversations that—” Deese began.
“But it’s not private. The Saudis have shared it with us. You’ve got the opportunity to say it’s true or not. Is it true or not?” Ferro interjected. (RELATED: Biden Turns To Venezuela For Oil After OPEC Slashes Production)
“What I will say, what I will say, or what I will say clearly, is that the communications that we’ve had with OPEC members and continuing have been based on our assessment of the economic circumstances of supply and demand in global oil markets,” he said.
The Saudis did not mention the upcoming U.S. midterm elections in their statement, but some commentators have claimed that the Biden administration’s alleged request was politically motivated.
Bloomberg previously reported that the White House had aggressively urged Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members, including Kuwait and the United Arab Emigrates, to vote against cutting oil production.