WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) renewed his October 13th request to Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she launch a formal inquiry into troubling reports that suggest the Biden administration officials pressured the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to delay a planned cut in oil production for the sole purpose of influencing the outcome of the 2022 elections.
This week, the New York Times suggested that Biden administration efforts to pressure the Saudis may have commenced as early as this spring – when U.S. gas prices hit an all-time national high. This investigative report revealed that President Biden’s top aides “thought they had struck a secret deal to boost oil production through the end of the year – an arrangement that could have helped [President Biden] justify breaking a campaign pledge.” The article cited, “American officials and officials from Gulf Arab nations, as well as Middle East experts with knowledge of [the] discussions.”
These new revelations come after Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry released a statement implying that the Biden administration pressured them to “postpon[e] the OPEC+ decision for a month.” As Tiffany noted in his previous letter, these allegations are incredibly serious, and if true, may constitute the illegal solicitation of a foreign in-kind contribution by the White House on behalf of Democrats’ midterm campaign efforts.
“If the President or any of his senior appointees actively sought to collude with a foreign government to influence the outcome of our elections, the American people deserve to know about it,” said Congressman Tiffany. “This shouldn’t be a political issue, and Congress should exercise its vigorous oversight and get to the bottom of these alarming reports as soon as possible.”
Background:
In the wake of these deeply disconcerting claims, as well as prior public statements by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs corroborating them, Congressman Tiffany is once again asking that Speaker Pelosi and the chairs of relevant House committees fulfill their constitutional duties and immediately:
- Convene hearings to determine if such calls or meetings took place, what Biden administration officials participated and what specific requests were made regarding Saudi or OPEC+ oil production by Biden administration officials.
- Request that the White House release the transcripts of any calls between President Biden, Vice President Harris, any cabinet official or other senior administration official and representatives of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding oil production that took place subsequent to February 1, 2022.
- Identify any Biden administration official who may have asked any Saudi government official to delay any oil production cut until November or later.
Tiffany’s office has yet to receive a response from Speaker Pelosi on the October 13th request.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
Last Update: Oct 28, 2022 4:45 am CDT
