Top Biden State Department Official Quotes Ted Cruz to Push Back on AP Reporter
A senior State Department official quoted Sen. Ted Cruz(R-TX) during a back-and-forth with Associated Press reporter Matt Lee about the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will deliver gas from Russia to Germany through being under the Baltic Sea.
During Thursday’s State Department press briefing, Lee prefaced his question to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland with noting that State Department spokesperson Ned Price and Nuland herself have said that “if Russia invades Ukraine one way or another Nord Stream 2 will not move forward.”
“But Nord Stream 2 is already completed,” continued Lee.
“It has not,” said Nuland.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s finished,” interjected Lee. “If they decided to turn it on right now it would be sending gas or olive oil or vodka or whatever.”
“Vodka would be good,” said Nuland. “Olive oil would be good.”
“All they have to do is turn it on,” said Lee. “When you say it won’t move forward you mean it won’t open for gas, gas supplies?”
“Matt, it is not ready to be turned on,” said Nuland. “It has not been…”
“It’s finished,” Lee interrupted.
“It has not been tested,” said Nuland. “It has not been certified.”
“But it’s finished,” Lee interjected.
“It has not been … the regulatory pieces that would allow it to be turned on both on the German side and on the EU side have not been completed.”
“But it’s finished,” Lee interrupted. “From start point to end point the pipeline is done and whether or not there are certifications that need to be done or not, if you send anything through it right now, it would start in Russia and end in Germany.”
Nuland replied, “As Senator Cruz likes to say, I don’t quote him often, but as Senator Cruz likes to say, ‘It is currently a hunk of metal at the bottom of the ocean.’ It needs to be tested, it needs to be certified, it needs to have…”
“But it’s finished,” interjected Lee as Nuland finished with “regulatory approval. And no gas will flow through it until those things happen.”
Watch above, via CPSAN.
