Trump promised to refill America's emergency oil reserve. Instead, it just saw its largest weekly drain in history.

[AZJonnie]

3. I suspect the reason the author is giving is mostly BS

"quietly let some out the back door to soften domestic prices and shore up allies"

It's likely not being sold "out the back door" to "soften domestic prices" it's being sold the highest bidders on the WORLD market, at the EXPENSE of the US public. This is why the US, just a couple weeks ago, became net-exporters of crude for the first time since the 1970's. Trump is selling off our reserves because now is a profitable time to sell it off, i.e. the actual goal is almost surely "profit taking".

Unless the article contains proof that domestic refineries are being sold crude from the Reserve at a discount (the only way I know of that the impact on US consumer prices would be downward), I question the assertion that the regime's goal was to "soften domestic prices". My guess would be that it's, at best, a small side-effect.