As we’ve watched the Justice family’s creditors come knocking and their business assets sold off to cover debts, we’ve become increasingly concerned about how this financial drama could impact Jim Justice’s ability to serve as a U.S. senator. And, given West Virginia’s reliably red voting history over the last decade, he is most likely to be our next U.S. senator, though we won’t count Glenn Elliott out just yet.
We aren’t suggesting Justice is pursuing office with the intent to benefit himself or his family. We worry, however, that the dire financial straits of his family’s companies and his personal liability for debts held by foreign creditors could open him to allegations of perceived corruption.
There is certainly a precedent for individuals elected to federal office using their new position to benefit themselves. During his tenure, Donald Trump blatantly used the influence of the presidency to enrich himself, his family members and their businesses: visiting dignitaries would stay at Trump properties, his family members received lucrative contracts or sponsorships during and after his time in office and his daughter-in-law now runs the national Republican Party. New Jersey Democrat Sen. Bob Menedez was just convicted on corruption charges for receiving payment — including actual gold bars — to leverage his position to benefit foreign governments. He announced Tuesday he would resign his Senate seat, capitulating to the demands of his Democratic colleagues.
Although Justice has handed over the day-to-day operations to his children, he hasn’t put all of his assets in a blind trust and many of those assets — as well as company debt — are in his name. As both a U.S. senator and co-owner of coal companies, any vote Justice would take on energy bills could be seen as potentially self-serving. (Goodness knows we’ve repeatedly called out Sen. Joe Manchin for his conflict of interest.) Any favor Justice shows toward legislation or policy that may benefit foreign companies holding his debt could be seen as quid-pro-quo.
Justice has frequently complained about the media attention his companies’ finances have been receiving, but this is the kind of scrutiny the public expects when it comes to public officials. If he thinks he’s under the microscope now, it will only get worse if he makes it into national office. If Justice becomes a senator, he will be under even closer examination — by the national media as well as watchdog, advocacy and lobbying groups.
With all of this in mind — plus the still-unfolding drama as he, his family and his companies are repeatedly taken to court — we wonder if Justice will be able to adequately represent us, the people of West Virginia, in the U.S. Senate. We would be less concerned if Justice properly divested himself from his family’s companies. It may be a lot to ask of a business’ patriarch, but it’s the least we can ask of a U.S. senator.
