Michael Goodwin: Joe Biden’s Saudi State of Affairs

Leaving aside Joe Biden’s ridiculous denial about inflation and his Walter Mittyesque claims to having been there and done that, he still managed to hit a new low last week.

If Congress plays by the rules it followed during Donald Trump’s presidency, Biden committed an impeachable offense. And he admitted it on television!

The president told CNN that “there will be consequences” for Saudi Arabia after the kingdom refused a White House request to postpone a cut in oil production.

Depending on circumstances, penalizing an ally might be necessary, but the problem is the request. It was politically self-serving, designed only to help Biden’s poll numbers and his party’s mid-term chances.

The White House, after being rebuffed on its demand that the planned production cut be rescinded altogether, focused on the timing. It was then that officials asked for the cut to be postponed a month, meaning it would take place after the elections.

In effect, the president’s team wasn’t as concerned with rising gas prices as it was over when consumers would feel the pain at the pump. The goal was to avoid price hikes before voters made their choices.

The Saudis, speaking for the OPEC+ cartel, which includes Russia, understood what was being asked and said no, leading Biden to level his threats.

This is a far more blatant case of courting foreign help for an election than the one Democrats cited for their first impeachment of Trump. The issue then was aid to Ukraine, and Nancy Pelosi’s House Dems accused the former president of soliciting “foreign interference” in the 2020 election by seeming to connect American aid to his request that Ukraine help find dirt on Joe and Hunter Biden.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Biden meet at Al Salman Palace upon his arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 15.Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/REUTERS

In the case at hand, Biden did not personally make the appeal, though he approved it, as illustrated by his threats when it was rejected. Aides say the US will reevaluate the relationship with the Saudis and there is talk of an arms embargo — all because the ruling crown prince said no to a corrupt plea to meddle in the midterms.

Again, by the standards used against Trump, this is an open-and-shut case of the president of the United States soliciting “foreign interference” to sway an American election.

Of course, as long as Pelosi has the gavel, Biden is safe, though it’s also true that GOP speakers are notoriously averse to using their majorities to play hardball the way Dems play.

How Dems play ball

Beyond Pelosi, the Saudi episode also reveals fundamental ways in which Washington Dems always enjoy home-field advantage.

First, notice there’s no Deep State Deep Throat complaining to Congress about the illicit oil request, nor is there a parade of self-described whistleblowers, such as blowhard Alexander Vindman, emerging from the basement to explain that

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases