Immediately following President Biden’s announcement late Tuesday morning that the U.S. would finally ban Russian oil over the ongoing war in Ukraine, CBS went to work spewing White House propaganda that the administration’s left-wing environmental agenda was “not hurting oil production in this country.” Instead, the network claimed there were “no good options” other than turning to other enemies of America, like Venezuela and Iran, for oil.
“He also made it clear, Weijia, that his policies, the Biden administration policies, are not hurting oil production in this country. He wanted to make that clear, too,” CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King proclaimed as she anchored the special coverage. Senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang lamented: “Right, because that’s what Republicans have been saying very forcefully. Wondering why we can’t just ramp up oil production here.”
The reporter then repeated the President’s talking points as if they were a fact-check of his GOP critics:
Well, the President just said that oil companies have the option to do that right now but they aren’t taking it. And we did talk to a commodities expert, a strategist who said that’s exactly right. But there’s a lot of concern from those oil companies because investors are very hesitant to have more production ramp up, especially if it could be tied to anything having to do with the war going on right now.
And so another point, Gayle, is it couldn’t happen overnight, right? I mean, when you’re talking about the need for supply right now, you can’t make that happen right away.
Meanwhile, the CBS coverage completely excused the President’s wildly controversial plan to beg hostile dictators in Venezuela and Iran – rogue nations that are both allied with Russia – for oil, rather than do everything possible to ramp up U.S. domestic production. Jiang defended the move:
And that is why the President briefly mentioned that he is working to secure the global supply, Gayle. That’s going to be another huge part of this, because of the doors that he is knocking on. You have Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, those are not actors that the U.S. wants to make deals with. But Gayle, when you’re talking about the pain that people might feel here at home, that’s who the White House right now is consulting with to make up the difference now they have announced this ban on Russian oil.
She later concluded: “And again, that’s why experts, lawmakers are all saying this is really a bad situation all around with no good options.”
Over on NBC, business correspondent and routine Biden booster Stephanie Ruhle hailed the address: “And the President hit all the marks he needed to on this speech.” She then cheered on his attempt to deflect from his own disastrous energy policies by making U.S. oil companies the villain:
He also reminded us that this is a time when our big oil and natural gas producers here, those big companies, they cannot be price gouging. Expect him to use his bully pulpit to push them, that those businesses, of course they need to make profits, but this is not a time for price gouging.
Today show co-host and special report anchor Savannah Guthrie reiterated: “And no question there was a shot across the bow from the President to those oil companies and the banks, the financial institutions that help them go to say no price gouging, no profiteering, you have to make a profit, you don’t have to pad your profits.”
Real journalists would be questioning the administration’s radical environmental policies and pressing the White House on why increasing U.S. domestic energy production was being treated as a matter of national security. Instead, the stenographers at CBS and NBC just repeat what they’re told.
The live special coverage did not feature any commercial breaks.
Here is a transcript of CBS’s March 8 special coverage:
11:39 AM ET
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WEIJIA JIANG [CBS NEWS SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT]: Now, all of this together is going to impact what people see every day. And that is why the President briefly mentioned that he is working to secure the global supply, Gayle. That’s going to be another huge part of this, because of the doors that he is knocking on. You have Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, those are not actors that the U.S. wants to make deals with. But Gayle, when you’re talking about the pain that people might feel here at home, that’s who the White House right now is consulting with to make up the difference now they have announced this ban on Russian oil. Gayle?
GAYLE KING: Yeah, that raises a whole other set of questions, too. He also made it clear, Weijia, that his policies, the Biden administration policies, are not hurting oil production in this country. He wanted to make that clear, too.
WEIJIA JIANG: Right, because that’s what Republicans have been saying very forcefully. Wondering why we can’t just ramp up oil production here. Well, the President just said that oil companies have the option to do that right now but they aren’t taking it. And we did talk to a commodities expert, a strategist who said that’s exactly right. But there’s a lot of concern from those oil companies because investors are very hesitant to have more production ramp up, especially if it could be tied to anything having to do with the war going on right now.
And so another point, Gayle, is it couldn’t happen overnight, right? I mean, when you’re talking about the need for supply right now, you can’t make that happen right away. And unfortunately, for better or worse, where you can go is Saudi Arabia. And again, that’s why experts, lawmakers are all saying this is really a bad situation all around with no good options.
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Here is a transcript of NBC’s special coverage:
11:38 AM ET
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SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Let’s go to Stephanie Ruhle, our business correspondent. And, Stephanie, the practical effect of this, I mentioned that oil imports from Russia account for just a smaller portion of our consumption here in this country, but it’ll pack a punch. And now we’re seeing the UK and the EU taking some steps, although not quite as dramatic.
STEPHANIE RUHLE: Absolutely, Savannah. And the President hit all the marks he needed to on this speech. Well, we’re not going to have a supply issue here, we make an ample amount here in the U.S., as you said. We just use a small portion of Russian oil and gas as opposed to Europe, which uses a whole lot more. But the price is going to be an issue. The United States, the government, we don’t set the price. The price is set globally, and we’re already seeing prices go up. We don’t expect that to change.
And the President said it, this is the current price of war. And hitting Russia, cutting off their big economic artery, is the hope that it’s going to cause real pain over there. He also reminded us that this is a time when our big oil and natural gas producers here, those big companies, they cannot be price gouging. Expect him to use his bully pulpit to push them, that those businesses, of course they need to make profits, but this is not a time for price gouging.
And he reminded the American people this is going to be difficult. We are going to be paying more. But remember, we don’t have our soldiers on the line costing their lives. And this is something we’re going to be living with for the foreseeable future. It’s going to be expensive for the American people, Savannah.
GUTHRIE: And no question there was a shot across the bow from the President to those oil companies and the banks, the financial institutions that help them go to say no price gouging, no profiteering, you have to make a profit, you don’t have to pad your profits. So a clear sign from the White House there. Also interesting messaging, the President called it Putin’s price hike, of course laying the blame squarely on the person who started this war, Vladimir Putin. Stephanie, thank you.
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