MORGANTOWN – With just a just a day to go until the inauguration of the next U.S. president, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., talked with the press about his views on Trump’s impeachment and the incoming Biden administration.
Manchin skipped his usual opening statement to jump right into press questions.
On the impeachment, he said he doesn’t know if the needed 67 votes – 17 from Republicans – are there to convict President Trump of incitement to insurrection. He doesn’t know yet if current Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Tuesday comments may swing some GOP votes.
McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday that last week’s insurrectionist “mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people.”
It’s still not known when the House will send over the single article of impeachment, let alone when the Senate trial will begin.
In the meantime, Manchin said, “We need to put a working government together.” All of Biden’s interest and efforts need to be devoted to building his cabinet and leadership team, and rebuilding credibility and morale, Manchin said.
Manchin said he hoped, when the House determined it would pass the impeachment article, that the House would hold it until after Biden’s first 100 days. That would also allow for the thorough gathering of evidence of Trump’s involvement.
He hopes now, since the trial will come sooner, that it will be extensive and work under the presumption everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and that Trump will have a robust defense.
Regarding his vote, Manchin said he will be a juror and needs to have an open mind,though he is leaning toward conviction. “I hope everyone keeps their minds open, their ears open.” But the evidence is overwhelming and justifies an impeachment trial, he added.
On the impeachment issue, The Dominion Post asked why Trump’s call to Georgia trying to coerce the attorney general there to overturn the election wasn’t factored in to the impeachment considerations.
Manchin said Trump’s intent was obvious. “He was not above voter fraud, if he could coerce them to do that.” He doesn’t know why the House didn’t address that, but the Democrats there must have felt the evidence for insurrection and sedition was strong enough. The evidence for that is strong, Manchin said.
The Dominion Post also asked Manchin his view on Biden’s plan to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline project, which Trump rebooted after President Obama halted it.
“I respectfully disagree,” Manchin said. The oil is still going to come into the U.S. from Canada by rail or road, neither of which is as safe as pipeline transmission, he said. Plus, much of the project has been completed.
Perhaps if Biden wants to pause it to once again examine the environmental impacts – though it’s been thoroughly examined more than once – that’s his prerogative, Manchin said. Manchin’s energy committee certainly will look at it.
“I think it’s ill advised,” Manchin said of Biden’s plan, saying It would be better to have that oil here than send it to other parts of the world.
Asked about the Democratic vision of expanding the Supreme Court to pack it with liberal judges, Manchin again said he opposes it. “Where does it stop?” If we find a judge who defends the rule of law, we’ll be fine, he said. Recent rulings by the court, with three Trump appointees who voted against Trump’s wishes, demonstrate that.
Manchin addressed the widespread discussion of his swing-vote power in the Senate. He said his voting record shows he’s the most centrist senator. He wants to work toward compromise and sitting down together.
People will divide into herds or tribes, he said. “I’m determined this place is going to work. … I’m on the American tribe and they all know that.”
As Trump allies bailed in droves after the Capitol riot, Manchin said he tried to urge people to stay at their posts, to help smooth the transition. All those empty offices leave the government rudderless and make it harder because Biden will have to rebuild so much from scratch.
Asked about the wall going up and troops swarming the Capitol area, Manchin said, “The mood is determined. … We’re determined to make sure this government is still going to be the beacon of hope around the world.” They won’t be caught unprepared as they were last week, he said — it’s best to overprepare to ensure an orderly transition.
His top legislative priority remains what it was and has been under Obama and Trump, he said: national infrastructure. The U.S. spent $4 trillion in just a year responding to the COVID pandemic, he said. Imagine if we spent that much across 10 years on infrastructure. “We could take care of the economy, we could take care of unemployment and we could rebuild America.”
The Dominion Post contacted Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., to ask if she wished to contribute to this report. Her office said she has begun conversations with potential nominees and is working to find common ground to advance West Virginia interests and priorities. Any solutions that can help unify America need to be bipartisan ones.
Capito said in an email exchange, “I am excited to be embarking on my second term in the U.S. Senate. Serving the great people of West Virginia is never lost on me and I look forward to working on behalf of them each and every day. A Republican majority has brought many advantages to our state and has allowed me the chance to advocate for many of our states key priorities throughout my first term in the Senate – whether that be shining a light on miners health and pensions, increasing EDA funding, expanding broadband access, and more.
“A lot of these successes have been possible because Republicans were in the majority. The 117th Congress will be a different story,” she continued. “We will have a 50-50 Senate for the first time in many years, and serving as a check and balance is going to be where I’m going to be most impactful in this new environment. While I do not always agree with my Democrat colleagues, I will do what I’ve always done as a public servant and work with all of my colleagues to improve the lives of West Virginians.”
Tweet David Beard@dbeardtdp Email dbeard@dominionpost.com
