Greta: President Obama outfoxed by Putin and his boys

Greta: Pres. Obama outfoxed by Putin and his boys

'Off the Record', 4/25/14: Why Putin and his Russian officials are busting a gut - and raking in the cash - tonight

By Greta Van Susteren

Let's all go "Off the Record" for just a minute. President Obama outfoxed by Putin and his boys.

On March 17, right after Putin rolled into Crimea, President Obama talked tough, imposed sanctions on top Russian officials. The sanctions were supposed to scare Russian Putin straight, straight out of Crimea. That didn't happen.

Instead Putin and his boys, well, they got the giggles. They mocked President Obama and his sanctions, made jokes about them. Well, Putin and his boys are really busting a gut tonight and here's why.

Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation who is among those sanctions on March 17, is now laughing his way, all the way to the bank. Rogozin plays a key role in our Pentagon space program. He oversees the Kremlin-owned company that sells engines used in our Pentagon satellites that launched into space.

Now, the US Air Force awarded a giant no-bid contract to an American company which, in turn, buys those engines from Rogozin's company for our space rockets. The engines cost $17 million each. So, when asked if the import of these pricey engines from the Rogozin run company undermines the US sanctions on Russia and Rogozin, State Department spokes person Jen Psaki said, and listen carefully to this diplomatic hairsplitting, Rogozin was targeted as an individual, not as a company.

So, let me get this straight: The Obama administration thinks when the company Rogozin runs is paid millions of dollars by the American company for those engines, Rogozin is going to do the right thing. He is going to pay everyone but himself. Pretty dumb, huh? And that's my "Off the Record" comment tonight.