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Jeff Mordock

jmordock@washingtontimes.com

Jeff Mordock is the White House reporter for The Washington Times. A native of Newtown, Pennsylvania, he previously worked for Gannett and has won awards from both the Delaware Press Association and the Maryland Delaware D.C. Press Association. He is a graduate of George Washington University and can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Jeff Mordock

In this file photo, President Joe Biden boards Air Force One upon departure from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Biden heads to Delaware for weekend as Russians advance on Kyiv

President Biden on Friday afternoon scrapped plans to stay at the White House and prepared to depart for his home in Delaware for the weekend. The White House released a daily schedule confirming that Mr. Biden will travel to Wilmington in the evening.

February 25, 2022

In this handout photo taken from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Zelenskyy declared martial law, saying Russia has targeted Ukraine's military infrastructure. He urged Ukrainians to stay home and not to panic. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Zelenskyy speaks with Biden after he accuses U.S. of not doing enough to help Ukraine

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with President Biden on Friday, just hours after he accused the U.S. of standing by while Russia ravaged his country.

February 25, 2022

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a media conference after convening an online NATO leaders summit at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts will seek Friday to reassure member countries on the alliance's eastern flank that their security is guaranteed as Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine closes in on the capital Kyiv. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)

NATO vows to protect its territory after Russian attack on Ukraine

NATO warned Friday that it will defend its territory and protect its allies, strongly condemning Moscow for its brutal and devastating attack on Ukraine.

February 25, 2022

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, left, attends an European Finance Ministers meeting, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022 in Paris. European Union leaders put on a united front after a six-hour meeting that went into early Friday morning, during which they agreed on a second package of economic and financial sanctions against Russia. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Germany opens door to barring Russia from SWIFT interbank payment system

Germany's finance minister said Friday that his country is open to cutting Russia off from the SWIFT interbank payment system, the crackdown on financial transactions that some have described as the "nuclear option" of sanctions.

February 25, 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to chair a Security Council meeting in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

European Union plans to freeze assets of Putin, Lavrov

The European Union is planning to freeze the assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as punishment for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to a report Friday.

February 25, 2022

President Joe Biden speaks about Russia's invasion of Ukraine on a television at Shaws Tavern in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Biden scraps plans to spend weekend in Delaware amid Ukraine war

President Biden scrapped plans to travel to his home in Wilmington as the situation in Ukraine is rapidly deteriorating and invading Russian troops advance on the capital of Kyiv.

February 25, 2022

White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

White House says it would accept Ukrainian refugees in U.S.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that the Biden administration is prepared to accept Ukrainian refugees in the U.S., but said officials expect most of the individuals fleeing the Russian invasion will end up in Europe.

February 24, 2022

Biden unveils new sanctions as Russia advances in Ukraine

President Biden on Thursday ordered a series of what he called "strong" economic sanctions on Russia as punishment for its devastating invasion of Ukraine, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin "chose this war."

February 24, 2022

President Joe Biden speaks about Ukraine in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 22, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Biden speech on Ukraine crisis pushed back again

One of the most important speeches of President Biden's presidency, his speech Thursday outlining the U.S. response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has been pushed back again.

February 24, 2022

The rusty emblem of the Soviet Union is seen over the ghost town of Pripyat close to the Chernobyl nuclear plant, Ukraine, Thursday, April 15, 2021. The vast and empty Chernobyl Exclusion Zone around the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident is a baleful monument to human mistakes. Yet 35 years after a power plant reactor exploded, Ukrainians also look to it for inspiration, solace and income. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukraine loses control of Chernobyl nuclear site to Russian forces

Ukrainian officials on Thursday confirmed that Russia has seized control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

February 24, 2022

This image provided by The White House via Twitter shows President Joe Biden at Camp David, Md., Feb. 12, 2022. A new poll finds little support among Americans for a major U.S. role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. President Joe Biden has acknowledged the growing likelihood of a new war in Eastern Europe will affect Americans even if U.S. troops dont deploy to Ukraine. Just 26% of Americans say the U.S. should have a major role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.(The White House via AP, File)

Biden’s public refusal to send troops to fight in Ukraine a mistake, experts say

President Biden's biggest mistake in countering Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression in Ukraine was taking U.S. military intervention off the table, according to a noted national security expert.

February 24, 2022

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the nation on a live TV broadcast in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. President Zelenskyy has told the nation that Ukraine is &quot;not afraid of anyone or anything.&quot; He spoke during a chaotic day in which Russia appeared to be moving closer to an invasion, with President Vladimir Putin recognizing separatist regions of eastern Ukraine and then ordering forces there.(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Biden, Zelenskyy talk on phone as Russia attacks Ukraine

President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke late Wednesday night as Russian troops launched an expected attack on Ukraine.

February 24, 2022

Image from the Ukrainian President’s office sent to CNN following the loud explosions heard in Kyiv. (Ukrainian President’s office)

Biden condemns ‘unprovoked and unjustified’ Russian attack on Ukraine

President Biden late Wednesday condemned an "unprovoked and unjustified attack" by Russia following reports of explosions heard in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa and other Ukrainian cities.

February 23, 2022

A Ukrainian serviceman stands at his position at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Svitlodarsk, eastern Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022. U.S. President Joe Biden announced the U.S. was ordering heavy financial sanctions against Russia, declaring that Moscow had flagrantly violated international law in what he called the "beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine." (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Biden imposes new sanctions as Putin escalates war in Ukraine

President Biden widened the slate of U.S. sanctions against Russia in response to military moves on Ukraine on Wednesday, but it was not enough to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from ordering a major escalation of his war against Ukraine.

February 23, 2022

Pipes at the landfall facilities of the "Nord Stream 2" gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, northern Germany, on Feb. 15, 2022. The White House is expected to announce Wednesday that President Joe Biden is allowing sanctions to move forward against the company that built the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and against the company's CEO. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)

Biden expands Russian sanctions to Nord Stream 2

President Biden on Wednesday expanded U.S. sanctions against Russia to include penalties against the builder of the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline that connects Russia and Germany.

February 23, 2022

Daleep Singh, Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics, speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

White House says new sanctions could come at any moment

Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh said Wednesday that new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine could come imminently.

February 23, 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, near the Kremlin Wall during the national celebrations of the 'Defender of the Fatherland Day' in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022. The Defenders of the Fatherland Day, celebrated in Russia on Feb. 23, honors the nation's military and is a nationwide holiday. (Alexei Nikolsky, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russia warns response to U.S. sanctions will be painful

Russia clapped back Wednesday at the United States, warning that its response to sanctions imposed by President Biden will be "finely tuned and painful."

February 23, 2022

White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

White House sees little prospect of new Biden-Putin meeting

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that tentative plans for a meeting between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week have been scrapped.

February 22, 2022

In this March 4, 2014 file photo, a monument to Ukrainian poet and writer Taras Shevchenko is silhouetted against an apartment building with a sign advertising Russia's natural gas giant Gazprom, in Moscow, Russia. A senior administration official said Tuesday that Russia's largest banks could be the next targets of sweeping sanctions if Moscow further invades Ukraine. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, file)

White House says Russia’s largest banks could be next sanction target

A senior administration official said Tuesday that Russia's largest banks could be the next targets of sweeping sanctions if Moscow further invades Ukraine.

February 22, 2022

President Joe Biden speaks about Ukraine in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Biden announces sanctions on Russian banks, oligarchs over Ukraine invasion

President Biden said Tuesday he has ordered the first round of economic sanctions against Russian banks and oligarchs in retaliation for Moscow's military "invasion" of Ukraine, and he warned of further sanctions.

February 22, 2022