Tongue-Tied Admin Official Laughs Uncomfortably While Trying to Address Contradictory Biden Drilling Quotes Under GOP Grilling

Sen. John Barrasso on Tuesday put Biden administration Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau in an awkward position when highlighting two separate comments from President Joe Biden on domestic drilling.

At an Energy & Natural Resources committee hearing, Sen. Barrasso put up two comments from President Biden on the subject of domestic drilling. The first said, “Republicans falsely claim that I’m blocking production on federal lands. But again, that’s nonsense,” and the second one reading, “no more drilling… there is no more drilling.”

After reading the two quotes out loud, Barrasso asked, “When was he lying, which was the lie? Because clearly the president is lying. Which one?”

“So, Senator, I think, as you know, production on public lands both onshore and offshore has not stopped,” Beaudreau replied. “In fact, in this administration, production levels — and this is just EIA information — has increased on public lands to over a billion barrels a year.”

“And so there has been no attempt by the administration to block or stop or impede production on public lands,” said Beaudreau.

“So then the president is lying when he says ‘no more drilling, there is no more drilling.’ That’s a direct lie into the camera, to the American people by the president of the United States,” demanded Barrasso.

Beaudreau chuckled uncomfortably as he answered, and did not contradict Barrasso’s characterization.

“So I don’t, you know, I can’t comment on a quote sort of out of context, but clearly there is ongoing drilling on public lands as well as production,” said Beaudreau.

The second quote Barrasso had on the graphic was likely from November 7, when President Biden responded to something inaudible from the crowd at his stump speech. “No more drilling,” he said looking into the crowd. “There is no more drilling. I haven’t formed any new drilling.”

But, as Beaudreau put it, “clearly there is ongoing drilling” and that includes new production that has increased to over a billion barrels a year.

Watch the clip above, via the Senate Energy & Natural Resources committee’s live stream of the hearing.