Durbin: ‘Doing Business with the Devil’ in Iran, Venezuela ‘for a Few Days’ Could ‘Help’ on Oil – Must Ensure Oil Industry Doesn’t Profiteer

While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said we should see if Iran and Venezuela “can help those countries that are trying to stop Putin” by boosting the world’s energy supply, and that while doing so is a deal with the devil, “doing business with the devil for a few days” isn’t as bad as Russia killing civilians daily. Durbin also stated that we should ensure “people in the oil industry are not using this crisis to raise their profits.”

Durbin said that it’s impossible to tell how high gas prices will go as a result of the ban on Russian oil imports. Because “The prices were going up even before this was announced. The Russian supply to the United States is a very small percentage. I think we need to look and make sure that the people in the oil industry are not using this crisis to raise their profits.”

Durbin was then asked, “The second question is whether we should open talks with Iran and Venezuela at this point to help boost the world’s supplies.”

Durbin responded, “I would say so. I would open up possibilities there and let’s see what happens. I’m not a fan of the regimes in either of those countries, but let’s see if they can help those countries that are trying to stop Putin from his aggression in Ukraine.”

Fox Business Correspondent Hillary Vaughn then asked, “Is that kind of a deal with the devil, though?”

Durbin answered, “There’s no doubt about it. And the question is, what is worse, Putin’s slaughter of innocent Ukrainians every single day or doing business with the devil for a few days?”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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