WASHINGTON—The House Energy Committee released a sworn transcript Tuesday detailing how Donald Trump's Russian diesel deal took shape behind closed doors. The document captures the cross-examination of senior petroleum lobbyist Vance Sterling. He admitted under oath that the domestic energy sector attempted to bypass global trade laws. Sterling slowly implicated the entire fossil fuel sector in a scheme to import millions of barrels of unrefined Siberian fuel. Read the official testimony below.
Q: Mr. Sterling, please state your full name for the record.
A: Vance Montgomery Sterling. I serve as Senior Vice President of Global Arbitrage at the American Petroleum Institute.
Q: Let us discuss the preliminary meetings regarding Trump's Russian diesel deal. Who initiated contact with Moscow?
A: We all did. Every major energy firm signed the initial memo. We met in a dark garage in Geneva. We wanted cheap fuel. Ethics were not a priority.
Q: You wanted cheap fuel at any political cost?
A: Yes. High pump prices hurt our profits. We realized Vladimir Putin had millions of gallons of excess fuel sitting idle. So we proposed a direct barter system. We offered him access to American deep-water ports in exchange for heavy distillates.
Q: Is it true that your trade group promised to ignore federal sanctions?
A: Ignore is a strong word. We preferred to circumvent them using creative routing. We planned to blend the fuel at sea. Then we would label it as artisanal arctic water.
Q: Did you consult with Congress before finalizing this agreement?
A: Absolutely not. Lawmakers ask too many questions about international law. They care about sovereignty. We care about quarterly margins. We told the White House that the deal would lower domestic gas prices by four cents. That was enough to secure executive approval.
Q: So the entire domestic oil industry knowingly coordinated with a foreign adversary to bypass federal legislation?
A: Yes, sir. Every single pipeline operator was on the Zoom call. Even the guys who make the little plastic banners for the gas station pumps were involved. It was a complete, industry-wide effort.
Q: No further questions for this witness.
