Kamala Harris mocked for offering 'word salad' explanation for buying Russian oil
The vice president's troubles with press interviews continue
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kamala Harris was mocked on social media for one of her latest post-State of the Union interviews on Wednesday.
The vice president appeared on NBC’s "Today" show to discuss the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. Like her last appearance in January, Harris faced a tough line of questions from host Savannah Guthrie.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One question focused on whether President Biden was considering banning Russian energy imports, noting that the United States still imports approximately 600,000 barrels of oil per day.
"Is that something the administration would consider in terms of future sanctions, cutting off the oil and gas part of the economy for Russia?" Guthrie asked.
Cutting off Russian oil in response to the Ukraine invasion has been supported by Republican and Democrat senators, though the White House has shown little enthusiasm for the idea.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Harris appeared to struggle with how to defend the White House's position.
"As you know, on this issue, for example, we applaud Germany in terms of what it has done as it relates to Nord Stream 2," Harris said. "As it relates to what we need to do domestically as well as what we need to do in terms of this issue generally, we have, as the president said, to reevaluate what we’re doing in terms of strategic oil reserves here in the United States to make sure that it will not have an impact, or we can mitigate the impact on the American consumer."
The vice president also remarked on the united front against Russia, saying, "Understanding that right now on the issue of energy, our allies have stood firm and unified in a way that many of the pundits didn’t predict would happen, to ensure that we are unified in our approach to this issue."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Several Twitter users mocked Harris' answer as a "word salad" that failed to explain why the White House hasn’t considered cutting off Russian oil imports.
Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce wrote "Another word salad filled w crutches. Has no one tried to coach her?"
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton tweeted, "The Vice President can't defend buying oil from Russia because it's indefensible."
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Harris has frequently been mocked for press appearances where she seems unprepared and for giving a long-winded "word salad" answers to direct questions. As recently as Feb. 21, she also has shown herself to be ill-prepared to discuss the geopolitical issues in Ukraine.