Energy Secretary Chris Wright acknowledged Thursday his staff had erred in a social media post last month that said the U.S. military was facilitating oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil and stock markets reeling.
The secretary’s comments come as the war in Iran is spiking oil and gasoline prices and as Democrats seek a probe into oil trading patterns under the Trump administration.
The department quickly deleted a social media post last month that erroneously claimed U.S. warships had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.
Wright on Thursday doubled down on his statements made after that post that its publication was an “honest mistake.” “I did not post that tweet myself, but I do take full responsibility for it,” Wright said. “It was a mistake.”
