Senate

Red-state Dem hits back over coal, court attacks

by Jordain Carney - 05/20/16 12:16 PM ET

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is hitting back at “D.C. lobbyists and out-of-state billionaires,” stressing that he’s willing to buck his party on coal and the Supreme Court.

“From my first day in the Senate, I’ve fought against Obama’s war on coal, his out-of-touch public policies, and will continue to defend West Virginia’s way of life against any group, any politician, and any president,” Manchin, who is running for reelection in 2018, said in a statement.

{mosads}The red-state Democrat added that “the D.C. lobbyists and out-of-state billionaires attacking me are trying to fool West Virginians about my record even though they know that no Senator has a longer and more successful record of taking on the EPA and standing up for coal than me.”

His statement comes days after the conservative Judicial Crisis Network announced it was launching another ad in West Virginia.

The ad praises Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, saying he’s “fighting to protect the coal industry.”

“Senator Manchin is doing the opposite. He’s siding with Washington liberals, helping confirm Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, a liberal who will limit your right to bear arms, crush the coal industry,” the ad’s narrator says.

The group said that with the new ad it’s spending more than $200,000 in West Virginia over the Supreme Court fight.

Manchin, who has frequently broken with his party, sat down with nominee Merrick Garland earlier this year.

He added Friday that he has “real concerns” about the president’s pick and would vote against him if they disagree on policy.

“If Judge Garland’s answers are vague, if he doesn’t make clear he will uphold the Constitution and act in West Virginia’s best interest, then I will vote against him — irrespective of what Democrats, the President, or anyone in Washington wants,” Manchin said.

Republicans are currently blocking Garland from receiving a hearing or a vote.

Manchin, who didn’t mention the Judicial Crisis Network in his statement, said that “only outsiders, billionaires and D.C. lobbyists would think it’s right to refuse to do our basic job as senators and meet with a Supreme Court nominee.”

The West Virginia Coal Association is pushing Manchin to reject Garland’s nomination.

The group created a form letter for constituents to send to Manchin, which notes “as has been widely reported in media outlets … Garland has a record of generally supporting contested EPA regulations since he became a judge on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.”

Manchin was asked about the group’s opposition to Garland ahead of his sit-down with the nominee. He told reporters at the time that the two would talk about issues that concerned his West Virginians.

“I can’t answer the questions you’re asking me until I ask him, and we talk about it,” he said.

Tags Joe Manchin