The so-called Jerky Boys of Russia spoke with US Energy Secretary Rick Perry for 22 minutes in a video published on Tuesday. The duo is known for prank calling high-profile personalities: In 2015 they called pop star Elton John while pretending to be Russian President Vladimir Putin. This time, Perry thought he was talking to Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman.
They managed to sway the Texan into believing that such a biofuel would actually be viable. “I look forward to being able to visit with the president and getting a more in-depth briefing [on the pig sh*t-based biofuel],” Perry said during the conversation.
The jokers spoke exclusively in Russian. Groysman would more likely speak Ukrainian for official purposes, but this slipped past Perry’s notice.
Gizmodo was so stunned by Perry’s responses that the publication included the following line after every paragraph in their article on the embarrassment: “Rick Perry, it should be noted, is in charge of America’s nuclear security.”
This is partly true: while the Pentagon is chiefly in charge of protecting the US from major threats, the National Nuclear Security Administration is a semi-autonomous agency within Perry’s Department of Energy.
“Secretary Perry is the latest target of two Russian pranksters,” a Department of Energy spokeswoman said last night.
The conversation also touched on hydraulic fracturing, coal, the Paris Climate Accord and the use of fossil fuels.
