Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin attempted to allay concerns among Republicans on Monday that he would vote with his party for progressive policies, such as packing the Supreme Court and ending the filibuster, should the balance in the Senate come to 50-50.
“I wanna rest those fears for you right now because when they talk about whether it be packing the courts or ending the filibuster, I will not vote to do that. I will not vote to pack the courts. I will not vote to end the filibuster,” he told Fox News’s Bret Baier.
Let me be clear: I will not vote to pack the courts & I will not vote to end the filibuster. The U.S. Senate is the most deliberative body in the world. It was made so that we work together in a bipartisan way. If you get rid of the filibuster, there's no reason to have a Senate. pic.twitter.com/g0fasdzVmt
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) November 10, 2020
But Matt Whitlock, senior advisor at the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Republicans shouldn’t take Manchin’s word for it.
"Yes everyone should trust Joe Manchin, who voted against Judge Barrett, voted for impeachment, voted to block COVID relief several times, and voted against tax cuts," he said on Twitter. "Nobody should trust Joe Manchin."
Yes everyone should trust Joe Manchin, who voted against Judge Barrett, voted for impeachment, voted to block COVID relief several times, and voted against tax cuts.
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) November 10, 2020
Nobody should trust Joe Manchin. https://t.co/Hktkr6E3PK