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GOP Gov. Jim Justice Faces Biden DOJ's Latest Political Attack

Sarah Arnold
Sarah Arnold  |  May 31, 2023 5:45 PM

A GOP Senate candidate's family has found themselves at the center of yet another politically weaponized scheme of the Biden Administration.

The Biden Department of Justice is suing Gov. Jim Justice's (R-WV) coal empire— 13 coal businesses his son Jay Justice ran or owned— citing 130 environmental and health violations.

Just a month after Justice announced his 2024 candidacy to unseat top Democrat Joe Manchin (D-WV), the DOJ is retaliating against the state's Republican governor. 

U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Virginia claimed that Justice has violated the law for nearly five years, adding that the governor's son has "failed to remedy those violations and was ordered over 50 times to cease mining activities until their violations were abated."

The civil suit cites total penalties and fees of about $7.6 million.

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Republicans accused the Biden DOJ of being politically motivated to threaten anyone who comes in the way of ousting a Democrat, saying the lawsuit is a "complete abuse of power."

"Joe Biden's Department of Justice has gone totally rogue," Tate Mitchell, a spokesman for the Senate GOP's campaign arm, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said. "Democrats weaponizing the federal government to attack the family of a Republican Senate candidate is a complete abuse of power."

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) also fired back at the woke department, saying it is "utterly brazen" to sue the governor's family. 

"When I said the Biden DOJ is the most political & partisan DOJ in history, I wasn't kidding," Cruz tweeted.

Donald Trump Jr. said, "Did anyone really think that Biden's weaponization of the DOJ to target his political opponents was going to stop with Trump?"

Former Acting Director of the United States National Intelligence Richard Grenell accused the DOJ of working closely with Democrats, calling it a "crisis for America."

Although Manchin has yet to indicate whether he will seek another term, currently, Justice is his most daunting opponent. 

A recent poll revealed that Justice is leading Manchin by double digits, with 54 percent of voters favoring the governor while only 32 percent support the Democrat.