A top Cabinet official squirmed before a congressional committee as he struggled to defend his boss’s ridiculous claim that he “loves” inflation.
Chris Wright, President Donald Trump’s energy secretary, was grilled on the commander-in-chief’s absurd comment during a House Committee on Science, Space and Technology hearing on Wednesday.
“Do you feel like your positions and policy statements are in line with President Trump?” Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes, 40, asked the Cabinet member.
“Yes, I hope so!” Wright, 61, replied.
“Do you love inflation?” Sykes fired back, which puzzled the energy secretary.
“Uh... I love ending Iran’s ability to have a nuclear weapon,” he said, prompting Sykes to assert that that was not an answer to her question.
Wright repeated his response again, which Sykes shut down once more before he finally answered the original question.
“No, I would prefer lower inflation,” Wright admitted.
The Ohio congresswoman then asked the Cabinet official if he was aware that Trump, 79, said earlier that day that he “loved” inflation, stumping him for a moment.
“He’s an entertaining, hyperbolic guy who’s done tremendous leadership,” Wright said before Sykes interrupted him.
“So, it sounds like you were unaware that President Trump just mentioned that he loved inflation,” she said, “and I certainly don’t want you to get in trouble with your boss, but it sounds like you don’t love inflation, but he does.”
Sykes then pressed the energy secretary on whether he was aware that the U.S. military had seized millions of barrels of oil from Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, which the president revealed in Wednesday’s Oval Office briefing.
“We are preventing the flow of Iranian oil through the Strait of Hormuz,” Wright said, as Sykes reminded him once again that was not an answer to her question.
The congresswoman then pulled up an audio clip of Trump’s comments from earlier in the day to play for Wright.
“I love the inflation. You know why? Because as soon as this war is over—you know, I can say it now, something you didn’t know," the president said. “Did you know we’ve been taking out millions of barrels of oil. Nobody knows it. You know who doesn’t know about it? Iran, until right now.”
Sykes asked Wright why the U.S. would be stealing oil from Iran, as the president had said they were.
“Well, it’s essential that we prevent oil sales from generating revenue for Iran to spend—to develop nuclear weapons and oppress the people," the energy secretary explained.
The Ohio rep emphasized another time that Wright had not adequately answered her question, to which the Cabinet official conceded, “I was unaware.”
Asked whether he believes that Trump is lying about the stolen Iranian oil, Wright said he did not, and that the president was only “talking casually” about the war, which incited pushback from Sykes.
“I think you talk to all different audiences and you talk in all different styles, but I don’t—I don’t have any serious objection to what he said," the Cabinet member said.
“You don’t have any serious objection for someone talking about war casually?” the congresswoman asked, bringing up the fact that 13 American service members had been killed and hundreds more wounded as a result of Trump’s war with Iran.
“He treats this war deadly serious,” Wright said, before Sykes called out his double standard.
“He speaks 20 hours a day in different styles for different audiences,” he claimed, before Sykes rebuked his defense of Trump’s “casual” talk about war.
“He is clearly keeping you in the dark about what he is doing in Iran, and now you are sitting here in this committee unaware that the president just made an announcement about millions of barrels that they have taken from Iran,” she said. “But unfortunately, he sent you here, and you didn’t know it. What is your response to that?”
Wright replied that he was “proud to serve with President Trump” and “be part of the team.”
Trump’s revelation occurred during Wednesday’s Oval Office conference, which was meant to be focused on his signing of an executive order to fund immigration enforcement agencies, but quickly unraveled into a classic Trump ramble fest.
The near-octogenarian almost shut down the briefing early, forgetting to sign the legislation before asking the press to leave. However, an aide behind him reminded him of what he was there to do.
