(FiveNation.com)- In a speech in Moscow last Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused NATO of being behind the explosions that caused the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea to rupture.
Just hours later, President Biden addressed Putin’s claims during a speech on the recovery efforts in Florida following Hurricane Ian. In his off-teleprompter remarks, the president called the incident “a deliberate act of sabotage” and accused Putin of lying, calling his accusations “disinformation.”
Biden on the Nord Stream pipeline being blown up:
"It was a deliberate act of sabotage. Now the Russians are pumping out disinformation. We will work with our allies to get to the bottom of what happened… But don't listen to Putin. What he's saying we know is not true." pic.twitter.com/r51f0C02a7
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 30, 2022
Despite the president’s vehement denials, some wonder if the sabotage of the pipelines may have been the work of the United States, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson who suggested on his show last Tuesday that the White House could have been behind the explosion.
Fueling the conspiracy are remarks Biden made during a press conference before Russia invaded Ukraine.
In a press event at the White House just weeks before the invasion, Biden warned that if Russia invaded Ukraine, there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2, adding “we will bring an end to it.”
When asked how the US could end Nord Stream 2 since the pipeline was controlled by Germany, the boastful Biden said, “I promise you. We will be able to do that.”
Pres. Biden: "If Russia invades…then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it."
Reporter: "But how will you do that, exactly, since…the project is in Germany's control?"
Biden: "I promise you, we will be able to do that." https://t.co/uruQ4F4zM9 pic.twitter.com/4ksDaaU0YC
— ABC News (@ABC) February 7, 2022
Posting to Telegram recently, Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Minister, demanded that Biden answer whether the United States followed through on his threat by causing the ruptures in “three lines of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2.”
At this point, there is no evidence that the United States or NATO was behind the incident. On its face, it makes no sense for either to risk escalating tensions with Russia, especially at a time when Putin is threatening to use nuclear weapons.
But you can understand why the questions have arisen.
This is the problem with destroying the credibility of the US government and its institutions while tossing around the word “disinformation” like a bunch of confetti. Doubt inevitably creeps in.
