On Wednesday, Mother Jones reported that Democratic Senator Joe Manchin has told associates that he is considering leaving the Democratic Party if President Biden and his colleagues stick with a plan to pass a $3.5 trillion reconciliation package. But the West Virginia Democrat has dismissed the report as “bullshit.”
“It’s bullshit,” Manchin said bluntly after he was asked about the report published in Mother Jones. “I have no control of rumors, guys. No control of rumors,” the centrist Senator said, according to The Hill. “I can’t control rumors, and it’s bullshit, bullshit spelled with b, u, l, l, capital b!” he exclaimed.
Mother Jones also reported that Manchin is considering a two-step plan for exiting the party:
From Mother Jones:
“He told associates that he has a two-step plan for exiting the party. First, he would send a letter to Sen. Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, removing himself from the Democratic leadership of the Senate. (He is vice chair of the Senate Democrats’ policy and communications committee.) Manchin hopes that would send a signal. He would then wait and see if that move had any impact on the negotiations. After about a week, he said, he would change his voter registration from Democrat to independent.”
Manchin, who is up for reelection in 2024, hasn’t said whether he’ll run another term as Senator.
