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THE SAUDI & PUTIN SCHEME FOR SCREWING BIDEN’S ELECTION HOPES  
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Thom Hartmann
March 5, 2024
The Hartmann Report
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_ So, get ready: it’s coming this fall. And unless the
administration acts quickly, there will be nothing they can do about
it. Gas at $6 a gallon could easily throw the election to Trump… _

, Image by Michael Vi

 

Have you noticed gas prices are rising? Get ready: you ain’t seen
nothing yet.

The bloodthirsty leader of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia loves his
dictatorial soul-mate Donald Trump and is today setting the stage to
intervene in November’s election in a big way, much like he did with
a smaller test run during the fall of 2022
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he drove US gas prices up above $5, forcing President Biden to release
oil from the US strategic petroleum reserve.

As Stanley Reed reported
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the Business pages of _The New York Times _three days ago:

“Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries, said Sunday that it would extend [their
one-million-barrels-a-day] cuts in oil production through June, noting
that it was acting ‘in coordination with some’ other states.”

That “other state” would be their OPEC+ partner Russia, which
also announced
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weekend a simultaneous production cut of 471,000 barrels a day. Putin
wants Trump back in the White House, too.

THIS TIME, THOUGH, BECAUSE TRUMP REFUSED TO BLOCK THE SALE OF
AMERICA’S LARGEST GASOLINE REFINERY TO SAUDI ARABIA IN 2017
(COMPLETED IN 2019 WITH TRUMP’S BLESSING), NO MATTER HOW MUCH OIL
BIDEN RELEASES FROM THE RESERVES WILL BE IRRELEVANT: IF THE SAUDIS
SHUT DOWN THEIR PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS REFINERY THIS OCTOBER “FOR
MAINTENANCE,” US GASOLINE PRICES WILL EXPLODE.

It’s the largest refinery in America, as _Foreign
Policy_ magazine noted
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May 2017:

“Port Arthur, referred to as the ‘crown jewel’ of U.S. refinery
infrastructure, can process 600,000 barrels of oil a day.”

That alone is enough to radically swing gasoline prices in the US.

SO, GET READY: IT’S COMING THIS FALL. AND UNLESS THE ADMINISTRATION
ACTS QUICKLY, THERE WILL BE NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT. GAS AT $6 A
GALLON COULD EASILY THROW THE ELECTION TO TRUMP, AS BIDEN WILL TAKE
THE BLAME (JUST LIKE IN NOVEMBER 2022) AND FOX “NEWS” AND
RIGHTWING HATE MEDIA WILL HANG GAS PRICES AROUND HIS NECK LIKE A
FLAMING TIRE.  

MBS and his sovereign wealth fund have funneled literally billions of
dollars into the Trump family, between Jared’s investment company
and Trump’s golf courses and the LIV Tour, in addition to giving
Trump himself additional hundreds of millions over the years renting
and purchasing Trump properties.

DURING TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY, MBS FUNNELED ADDITIONAL MILLIONS
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INTO THE TRUMP FAMILY’S POCKETS VIA TRUMP’S DC HOTEL AND NYC
PROPERTIES IN CLEAR VIOLATION OF THE EMOLUMENTS CLAUSE OF THE US
CONSTITUTION.

In exchange, Trump broke with the US tradition of new presidents
visiting democratic allies and made Saudi Arabia his first overseas
destination, blowing away congressional concern about MBS having
ordered the brutal murder and dismemberment of Washington Post
journalist Jamal Khashoggi and elevating the international status of
that country beyond anything ever done by any US president.

TRUMP FOLLOWED THAT UP BY ORGANIZING A 2019 SALE OF $8.1 BILLION IN US
WEAPONRY IN CLEAR VIOLATION OF US LAW (SUCH SALES REQUIRE
CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL). WHEN THE SENATE VOTED TO BLOCK THE SALE,
TRUMP KILLED THEIR EFFORT. AS _FRONTLINE
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IN A JULY 2019 REPORT:

“Both chambers have registered their disapproval of the emergency
declaration — the Senate voted to block the sale in June. President
Trump, however, has pledged to shoot down the measure when it arrives
at his desk.”

WHEN SAUDI ARABIA AND RUSSIA TRIED TO SCREW BIDEN AND THE DEMOCRATS BY
CUTTING OIL PRODUCTION — IN OCTOBER LEADING UP TO THE MIDTERM 2022
ELECTIONS — PRESIDENT BIDEN WAS FURIOUS. RUSSELL BAKER WROTE
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IT FOR _THE NEW YORK TIMES _ON OCTOBER 11, 2022:

“President Biden vowed on Tuesday to impose ‘consequences’ on
Saudi Arabia for teaming up with Russia to cut oil production,
signaling a rupture in the relationship between two longtime allies
and a reversal of his own effort to cultivate the energy-rich kingdom.

“Amid deep anger over last week’s decision by the Saudi-led OPEC
Plus, Mr. Biden’s staff announced that he would re-evaluate the
entire relationship with Saudi Arabia and expressed openness to
retaliatory measures offered by congressional Democrats such as
curbing arms sales or permitting legal action against the cartel.

“‘There’s going to be some consequences for what they’ve done
with Russia,’ Mr. Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview
broadcast on Tuesday night.”

WEIGHING IN FOR DEMOCRATIC SENATE LEADERSHIP, ILLINOIS SENATOR DICK
DURBAN ADDED
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AN OCTOBER, 2022 CNN APPEARANCE:

“Let’s be very candid about this. It’s Putin and Saudi Arabia
against the United States.”

THE SAUDIS ARE WELL AWARE OF THE POWER OF GAS PRICES OVER US POLITICS.
RETIRED SAUDI OIL MINISTRY ADVISER IBRAHIM AL-MUHANNA WROTE IN HIS
BOOK _OIL LEADERS: AN INSIDER’S ACCOUNT OF FOUR DECADES OF SAUDI
ARABIA AND OPEC'S GLOBAL ENERGY POLICY:
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“During the midterm election in 2018, President Trump pushed for
lower oil prices—meaning gasoline—and he succeeded, but he used
completely different methods. In the middle of June 2018, the oil
price was about $75 and the gasoline price in the United States was
more than $3.50 in some states. Trump was worried that the Republican
Party might lose the majority in both houses of Congress. …

“The OPEC+ group, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, decided in June
2018 to increase their production by 1.2 MBD. Saudi Arabian production
in November rose to more than 11.3 MBD, its highest ever.”

For reference, Saudi oil production right now is standing at around 9
million barrels
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day, and they just announced
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million-barrel-a-day production cut to kick in this summer/fall just
in time for the presidential election.

SO, WHAT CAN PRESIDENT BIDEN DO?

ONE STEP WOULD BE TO NATIONALIZE THE PORT ARTHUR REFINERY, THE
“CROWN JEWEL” ESSENTIAL TO US ENERGY SECURITY THAT NEVER SHOULD
HAVE BEEN SOLD TO A FOREIGN NATION. I’VE WRITTEN EXTENSIVELY ABOUT
THE PROCESS OF NATIONALIZATION HERE
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IT WOULD REQUIRE CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL AND WOULD PROBABLY TAKE MORE
TIME THAN BIDEN HAS BEFORE THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.

Nonetheless, it would be a shot across the bow of Saudi Arabia and may
get their attention sufficiently to stop their intended manipulation
of US gas prices this fall. And it’s the right thing to do, even if
it takes a year or more.

ANOTHER WOULD BE TO TAKE AMERICA BACK TO THE OIL EXPORT POLICY THAT
WAS PUT INTO PLACE DURING THE NIXON ADMINISTRATION, PROHIBITING THE
EXPORT OF ANY US CRUDE PETROLEUM PRODUCTS. US OIL PRODUCTION IS HIGHER
TODAY THAN IT’S EVER BEEN IN HISTORY, AND IN 2019 AMERICA ACHIEVED
TECHNICAL ENERGY INDEPENDENCE, AS NOTED BY THE US ENERGY INFORMATION
ADMINISTRATION:

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Source: Energy Information Administration

IN 1973, AT THE HEIGHT OF THE ARAB OIL EMBARGO, PRESIDENT NIXON AND
CONGRESS PUT INTO LAW LEGISLATION THAT BANNED THE EXPORT OF US CRUDE.
IT STOOD UNTIL DECEMBER, 2015, WHEN CONGRESS AND PRESIDENT OBAMA,
UNDER PRESSURE (BRIBES LEGALIZED BY 5 REPUBLICANS ON THE SUPREME
COURT) FROM THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY, REPEALED THE BAN
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American oil companies are currently exporting a bit over 4 million
barrels
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day, while we’re only importing around 900,000 barrels a day from
Saudi Arabia and 290,000 barrels
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day from Russia (yes, it sounds wacky). Ending exports would cut the
tie between US oil prices and Saudi and Russian production. (Which
only leaves that Port Arthur, Texas refinery owned by the Saudis as
the weak link MBS could use to manipulate US elections via gas
prices.)

While it would be challenged in court, there are emergency powers the
president has that may allow him to reinstate that ban, at least
temporarily, by executive order. Both _The Wall Street Journal _and
the _Financial Times_ have argued
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banning exports and lifting such a ban are both within the
president’s powers.

FINALLY, PRESIDENT BIDEN COULD GET AHEAD OF THE SAUDIS AND PUTIN BY
EXPOSING WHAT THEY’RE UP TO. THEY _INCREASED_ PRODUCTION (LOWERING
US GAS PRICES) IN 2018 TO HELP TRUMP AND THE REPUBLICANS IN THAT
YEAR’S MIDTERM ELECTIONS, AND _CUT_ PRODUCTION (RAISING US GAS
PRICES) IN 2022 TO HURT BIDEN AND THE DEMOCRATS IN THOSE MIDTERMS.
ARGUABLY, THEY GOT A REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OUT OF THAT EFFORT.

Most Americans are probably unaware of this, and letting them know how
our system is being manipulated by these two malevolent foreign powers
would take some of the political sting out of the high gas prices that
we can expect to see this fall.

And even if Biden chooses not to engage in this kind of public and
high-stakes brinkmanship with MBS and Putin, you and I can. Tell
everybody you know what’s happening and how we can expect it to play
out: it may well begin to bleed through to the mainstream media if
enough of us raise hell.

Pass it along!

_Thom Hartmann is a NY Times bestselling author of 34 books in 17
languages & nation's #1 progressive radio host. Psychotherapist,
international relief worker. Politics, history, spirituality,
psychology, science, anthropology, pre-history, culture, and the
natural world._

* high gas prices
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* Saudi Arabia
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* Putin
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* Election interference
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* Joe Biden
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