Manchin Hits ‘Far Left’ in Lobbying Call With Billionaires

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has made a mission statement out of trying to be friends with everybody. That seems to exclude those on the “far left,“ per a leaked Zoom call with billionaires obtained by The Intercept. Manchin spoke Monday with a group of billionaire donors from No Faults, a political action group that funds conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans. Throughout the call, Manchin pushed the donors to lobby Republican senators to vote for the Jan. 6 commission, which Senate Democratic leaders are hoping to bring up for a second vote. He particularly pointed out Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MI), who announced his retirement. “If some of you all who might be working with Roy in his next life could tell him, that’d be nice and it’d help our country,” he told the group. Otherwise, Manchin said, it could help bolster claims that there was no room for bipartisanship in the Senate—and could spell the end of the filibuster. “It just really emboldens the far left saying, ‘I told you, how’s that bipartisan working for you now, Joe?’”