CHARLESTON — Gov. Jim Justice doubled down Tuesday on his claim that the scheduled Aug. 27 public auction of the Greenbrier Hotel is politically motivated.
“It has to be driven by something,” Justice said at his media briefing. “I truly believe it’s a political play. Everybody I talk to says the same thing — it’s a political play.”
Reporter Steven Allen Adams asked Justice for proof that the international financial firm JPMorgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon have somehow conspired against Justice and his family in JPMorgan’s decision to sell the $40 million loan to Beltway Capital/McCormick 101, which has declared the loan in default and scheduled the public auction.
Justice didn’t provide specifics but said it has to be because he’s running for U.S. Senate and his expected victory could flip control of the Senate to the Republicans.
“I truly believe with all in me if I’m not running for the U.S. Senate you would have never heard about this. You have never heard about this in 10 million years. We would have continued to do exactly what we’ve been doing with JPMorgan and everybody would be happy in the neighborhood.”
Justice did not mention in his Tuesday’s comments his signing of a forbearance agreement last December that the lenders contend he has failed to live up to.
“I believe with all my soul that this will get worked out but if you believe that this is not a political play I think you’re crazy. There is no other reason. There’s no reason,” Justice said.
The agreed upon amount for the payout for the mortgage with JPMorgan Chase was $9.4 million, Justice said, and payments were made in June.
“Significant payments,” Justice said. “Then out of the clear blue nowhere nobody, nobody told nobody nothing.”
Justice also said if JPMorgan wanted to sell the mortgage why not sell it to Justice’s longtime lender Carter Banks.
West Virginia Democratic Party Chairman Mike Pushkin, a member of the House of Delegates, said the current situation is a sad one. Pushkin said he’s proud of The Greenbrier as is the rest of the state. He said Justice could have prevented the current situation.
“It’s a shame to see it auctioned off on the courthouse steps because of the way this guy (Justice) treats business partners because he refuses to pay debts,” Pushkin said during an appearance Tuesday on 580Live with Dave Allen.
Pushkin said he doesn’t buy the political motivation being behind the default declaration and scheduled auction.
“For him to make the insinuation that somehow he’s being signaled out because he’s the governor — I think most people realize he is getting special treatment because of who he is,” Pushkin said. “You or I could not get away with not even a tenth of what Jim Justice has gotten away with in life.” Justice said Tuesday the situation has created a terrific burden.
“It is not good for Carter Bank. It’s not good for Jim Justice but it’s way, way, way, not good for the business of the Greenbrier, the people of the Greenbrier and all the great work they do all the time.
The West Virginia Democratic Party released a one-page statement Wednesday morning in which it says, “Gov. Jim Justice is peddling outright lies when he suggests that JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is in cahoots with the Democratic Party, because the governor’s creditors are attempting to foreclose on the Greenbrier Resort over non-payment of bills.”
The statement goes on to say that Dimon and JP Morgan Chase have shown their support of the GOP through donations: $1,000,000 to Make America Great Again Inc., and $1,132,161 to the Republican National Committee.
