Manchin to meet with Trump’s Supreme Court pick

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) plans to meet with President Trump’s Supreme Court pick, Neil Gorsuch, on Wednesday.

Manchin, a red-state Democrat up for reelection in 2018, appears to be the first Democratic senator to sit down with Gorsuch since Trump nominated him to succeed the late Justice Antonin Scalia on Tuesday night.

Manchin’s support could be essential to getting Trump’s pick through the upper chamber. He’ll likely need 60 votes, including the support of at least eight Democratic senators.

{mosads}

Manchin said on Tuesday night that lawmakers should “put partisan politics aside” and allow the nomination to go through the vetting process.

“Senators have a constitutional obligation to advise and consent on a nominee to fill this Supreme Court vacancy and, simply put, we have a responsibility to do our jobs as elected officials,” he said in a statement.

Manchin earlier Wednesday signaled his opposition to another Trump selection, Education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos, but has said he won’t filibuster Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.

Gorsuch is also meeting with top GOP leadership, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.