In the announcement, the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged coal companies owned by Justice’s son, Jim Justice III, committed more than 130 violations of federal mining laws between 2018 and 2022 and ignored warnings to halt operations until they were resolved.

The elder Justice, who is challenging vulnerable incumbent Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), suggested in a wide-ranging press briefing Wednesday that the action was politically motivated.

“The Biden administration is aware of the fact that with a win for the U.S. Senate, and everything, we could very well flip the Senate… government agencies can sometimes surely react, and this could be something in regard to that,” he said.

Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.

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