'Special Report' All-Star Panel on Russian sanctions

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Biden’s policies limit the ability to be energy independent: Fleischer

‘Special Report’ All-Star panelists discuss growing concerns over rising gas and oil prices as Biden announces new sanctions on Russia.

This is a rush transcript of "Special Report with Bret Baier" on February 22, 2022. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

BAIER: Democrats and Republicans pretty critical of the sanctions so far, and executive order last night, the first wave, according to the president, of sanctions against Russia after the moves that have been made inside Ukraine.

Let's bring in our panel, Jeff Mason, White House correspondent for Reuters, Katie Pavlich, news editor at Townhall.com, and former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer. Jeff, let me start with you. You heard the Ukrainian foreign minister saying they were confused by the executive order last night from President Biden. They were assuaged by officials today this is the first of many tiers of sanctions, but they see more is need.

JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, "REUTERS": Yes, I think they have been wanting more from the beginning. And it was an interesting shift in language from the White House. Yesterday they were saying, and I spoke to senior administration official last night that the incursion or the sending of quote-unquote, peacekeeping troops to those breakaway regions in Ukraine was not considered an invasion because Russia had already had troops there.

Today, that language changed. The president, of course, in that clip that you just played calling it an invasion and using that to trigger the broader package of sanctions. And it's a first step. He called it a first tranche, and White House officials, including at the briefing that just occurred at the White House said there are more to come, and those include more on the financial system and on banks.

But it was a shift in language, Bret, at least in the last 24 hours. And I can see why Ukraine was watching that very closely.

BAIER: Yes. Ari, when you have a shift in language that dramatic, when you have been planning for this moment because it's been days and days in the making, something transpired. Somebody called and said this is not going to work, or something happened.

ARI FLEISCHER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, clearly, I think the Biden administration saw that they were getting out lapped by Democrats on Capitol Hill and they didn't want to be left behind. And so they increased their rhetoric and they matched it a little bit to the moment.

Look, Bret, what I really want to know is what is a sanction? I mean, that's a verb that sounds tough, but I don't think any sanctions we have ever enacted have any impact on Russia at all. I think the only person I have heard who has gotten this right was Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who said what we need to do is destroy their energy sector and crush the ruble. If you want to deter Russia from aggression, you need to speak in plain English and do things that are going to hurt them. And that is probably one of the best ways to put it. That will hurt Russia and that will deter action. But this mere talk of sanctions, that and in itself is so hard for anybody to understand if it's even effective.

BAIER: Katie, the Ukrainian foreign minister here on set, obviously it's not a NATO country, so there is not Article Five. If it's attacked, there is not an automatic response. But here is his answer to why Americans should care.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: It's time for America to stick to its promise and pay back and make a contribution to our security. Second, if Putin succeeds in Ukraine, this will send a message across entire world that the west is uncapable of defending what it stands for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: Thoughts on that?

KATIE PAVLICH, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I would say that the United States has supported Ukraine's security over the years, sending them military support. But in this specific instance, Americans are looking at the president of the United States and listening to him say that they're going to have to pay a price. And at the White House briefing today, the press secretary said that meant American values have to be put first, and, therefore, Americans are going to see their energy prices go up.

Well, there's two things wrong with that. The first is that's a choice by the Biden administration to allow for a foreign potential war, invasion, to effect domestic energy here at home based on President Biden's domestic energy policy colliding now, this climate change agenda, with this foreign policy crisis.

The other thing, the beauty of domestic energy production in an independent production as a country is that Americans don't have to worry about a foreign war far away where they do not feel like they have an interest and where they do not want military intervention to affect them here at home. And it's a convenient excuse for an administration that has seen rising energy prices as a result of their energy policy to now blame President Putin for a further increase in those in those prices.

And so when it comes to what Americans feel, they have supported Ukraine in a lot of the ways. And as you noted, they are not a NATO country, and therefore, we have less of an obligation to defend them.

BAIER: Jeff, about those energy prices, it's clear that oil prices are going to go up and that gas prices are going to be -- people are going to feel it. And it's an election year. The administration, the president saying today they are going to do everything they can. But in reality, they are not doing everything they can. Republicans on the Hill would like them to open the Keystone pipeline, get production up. But in this environment with the Biden climate change policies, that's not going to happen, right?

MASON: Well, the president has made clear long before Russia became the story that it has that climate change and fighting climate change was one of his key policy priorities. So I don't think this is going to change his mind about that, and I don't think the science would support him changing his mind about that. That's something that he pledged as candidate and it's something he wants to enact as president.

But it is no -- there is no question that the increase in gasoline prices and the pressure on energy prices is going to hurt him politically and is hurting him politically now. And this is something that no doubt Republicans will continue to highlight, going into the midterm elections. And that's why you hear the president saying he is probably going to do everything he can to prevent the pain at the pump. But but it's going to hurt. And it's, I think, one reason strategically why he has brought it up in the last couple weeks with regard to Putin and with regard to Russia, because it's probably not going to get any better any time soon.

BAIER: Speaking of petroleum preserve and putting that in the mix and even a tax holiday, which I don't think it will pass on Capitol Hill, gas tax, might not meet the moment, because you could talk about really skyrocketing prices perhaps.

FLEISCHER: Yes. That's exactly why we need to increase America's domestic energy, because that lasts. That's durable, and that's American. And it baffles me that this administration has put the shackles on America's energy industry by using regulatory powers to limit the amount of production we can have between gas and oil and to shut down pipelines and then to use the power of regulation to limit pipelines, not just Keystone, but throughout the United States of America. It's as if the policy is to drive up the costs for the American people and limit our ability to be energy independent. It's a baffling policy, and the Biden administration really ought to reverse it.

BAIER: All right, panel, thanks so much.

(MUSIC)

BAIER: OK, it's Tuesday. It's time for "Tuesday Tweets." First, Jolita asks, "Do you think that sanctions by E.U. or the U.S. are enough or should be more strict?" Not for me to say, but you heard the Ukrainian foreign minister say they are hoping for a lot more, that this is the first tranche, and they don't think this will move Putin as it stands right now.

Next, we go Jane, "I actually just sent you and Jennifer Griffin a question, but forgetting that today is #SRTuesdayTwitter. So Biden keeps saying our military will not fight Russia in a war. How does our being there help Ukraine?" We are in NATO countries with increased U.S. forces around the eastern edge of Ukraine, and if there was an expansion into those countries, those forces would be used for Article Five of protecting those NATO countries.

Here is one from Woody who asks, "At this very moment are we still importing oil from Russia, and if so, how much?" Yes, we are. Do you know that Russia produces about 10.1 million barrels of oil every day, about $1 billion every day? We bring in anywhere from five to 12 million barrels a month. Still do.

Last, Andy asks, "How do you control the panelists when they take too much time on a subject? Do they have an earpiece where a producer can tell them to wrap it up?" Yes, they do. We try not to. But they're kind of like horses. They get it.

Thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. That's it for this SPECIAL REPORT, fair, balanced, and unafraid. And I didn't wrap up in time. Jesse Watters a couple seconds late right now.

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