Week in Review: Biden “Confident” on Hunter, Psaki’s MSNBC Ethics, Energy Secretary’s $10 EV Pitch, Harris Word Salad in Jamaica

The week of 3/3/2022 featured Biden saying he was “confident” Hunter did not break the law, Psaki defending her ethics while negotiating a job at MSNBC from the White House podium, Energy Secretary Granholm pitching electric vehicles as a $10 alternative to $62 gas fill-ups, VP Harris delivering a rambling statement about Jamaica’s pandemic recovery, and the administration acknowledging its plan for when Title 42 was lifted was to “move people into the country faster.”

Biden “Confident” on Hunter

Psaki was asked directly whether Biden was confident Hunter had not broken the law. “Of course the president’s confident that his son didn’t break the law,” Psaki said. She insisted Hunter’s business dealings were “private matters” that “don’t involve the president, and they certainly are something that no one at the White House is involved in.”

The response came as both the New York Times and Washington Post had finally confirmed the authenticity of Hunter Biden’s laptop — a story they had suppressed during the 2020 campaign.

Psaki’s MSNBC Ethics Question

With reports that Psaki was negotiating a job with MSNBC while serving as press secretary, a reporter asked: “Is it ethical for you to continue conducting this job while negotiating with the media?”

“I have always gone over and above the stringent ethical and legal requirements of the Biden administration,” Psaki said. “I have received rigorous ethics counseling, including as it relates to any future employment. I’ve complied with all ethics requirements and gone beyond and taken steps to recuse myself from decisions as appropriate."

"$10 vs. $62” — Granholm’s EV Pitch

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm made the administration’s most explicit pitch for electric vehicles as the solution to gas prices. “If you filled up your 15-gallon tank today, you’d be paying about $62 to go 300 miles. If you plugged in an electric vehicle in your garage with your three-prong plug, you’d be paying about $10,” Granholm said. “So $10 versus $62 — that’s $50 you’re saving every time you fill up.”

The pitch was criticized as tone-deaf given that most Americans cannot afford new electric vehicles and many do not have home garages for charging.

Harris Word Salad in Jamaica

Vice President Harris delivered a characteristically convoluted statement during a visit to Jamaica. “We also recognize, just as it has been in the United States, for Jamaica, one of the issues that has been presented as an issue that is economic in the way of its impact has been the pandemic,” Harris said. “So to that end, we are announcing today also that we will assist Jamaica in COVID recovery by assisting in terms of the recovery efforts in Jamaica that have been essential to, I believe, what is necessary to strengthen not only the issue of public health, but also the economy.”

Title 42 Plan: “Move People Faster”

Senator James Lankford revealed the administration’s plan for when Title 42 was lifted. “I started addressing DHS to say, what is your plan when Title 42 goes away?” Lankford said. “They’re now presenting their plan to us of what they’re going to do when they take Title 42 off. Their plan is to move people into the country faster. That’s their whole plan. What they have worked on apparently for a year is to expedite people crossing the border and moving into the interior at a faster rate."

"Drill, Baby, Drill”

Republican leaders pushed back on the energy crisis with a straightforward proposal. “Restart construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Overturn Biden’s energy leasing moratorium and expedite permits for pipelines and natural gas exports,” a Republican leader said. “We need the American Energy Independence from Russia Act and stop playing Biden’s ‘energy from anywhere but America’ game. In short, the solution is very simple: drill, baby, drill.”

Democrats Want Biden to “Get Out There”

An analyst reported frustration from Democrats on the ballot. “I’ve talked to Democrats who want the president to, quote, ‘get out there.’ One said, ‘Don’t hide anymore in the White House. Get out and talk about these issues,’” the analyst said. Democrats wanted Biden to have “I feel your pain moments” even if policy options were limited.

COVID Funding “Urgent”

Psaki pushed for new COVID funding. “What we need is this funding to be able to plan for the future, to prepare for what we need,” Psaki said. “The virus can be unpredictable, and we need to be prepared, and there’s an urgent need to do that.”

Key Takeaways

Psaki said Biden was “confident” Hunter did not break the law and called his business dealings “private matters” despite $4.8 million in Chinese energy payments.
Psaki defended her ethics while negotiating an MSNBC job from the White House podium, saying she had “recused myself from decisions as appropriate.”
Energy Secretary Granholm pitched EVs as the gas price solution — $10 to charge vs. $62 to fill up — drawing criticism as out of touch.
Harris delivered a nearly incomprehensible statement about assisting Jamaica’s “recovery efforts that have been essential to what is necessary to strengthen the issue of public health.”
Lankford revealed the administration’s Title 42 replacement plan was simply to “move people into the country faster.”

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

Is the president confident Hunter Biden didn’t break the law? Of course the president’s confident his son didn’t break the law.
Is it ethical for you to continue this job while negotiating with the media? I have gone over and above the stringent ethical requirements.
If you plugged in an electric vehicle, you’d be paying about $10. So $10 versus $62.
Their plan is to move people into the country faster. That’s their whole plan.
The solution is very simple: drill, baby, drill.
We also recognize, just as it has been in the United States, for Jamaica, one of the issues that has been presented as an issue that is economic in the way of its impact has been the pandemic.

Full transcript: 1164 words transcribed via Whisper AI.