Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va) refused to answer questions on whether he plans to leave the Democratic Party or not.
After being asked about his comments regarding serving in the Senate as an “Independent voice,” Manchin was asked if his remarks rang true for the near future.
“I’ll let you know later,” Machin said in response, adding “they know how independent I am,” speaking of his current party.
“The ‘D’ does not saddle me to ‘everything the Democrats want to do is right.’ I don’t think the Democrats have all the answers. I don’t think the Republicans are always wrong,” Manchin said on a segment of CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
However, he said for now he plans to stay true to his party, adding that he would wait and see how the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act “plays out” before making a final decision.
“If people are trying to stop something from doing so much good because of politics, thinking somebody else will get credit for it, let’s see how that plays out. And then I’ll let you know later what I decide to do,” Manchin said.
His comments come after Sen. Krysten Sinema (I-Ariz) announced her departure from the Democratic Party and instead registered as an Independent last week, in which Manchin criticized her move.
Manchin has wrangled with fellow Democrats previously, most notably for President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan.
CBS host Margaret Brennan questioned why Manchin would even consider staying in the Democratic Party if it was so “toxic?”
“I don’t put much validity in the identity of being a Republican or Democrat. I think we’re all Americans,” Manchin said in response.