Sen. Joe Manchin‘s (D-WV) remarks at a Semafor event on permitting reform on Tuesday were interrupted by climate protesters denouncing the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
Manchin was discussing the pipeline and specifically discussions he had with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) before he was cut off by protesters shouting in the room.
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“Tim’s one of the most decent human beings I’ve ever met and been associated with, and I call him my dear friend. We just took two different approaches on this. Tim had a group from the southwest that lived down through there; there were mostly outsides coming through there —” Manchin said before he was interrupted.
Protesters then began chanting at Manchin before the video feed for the event was cut.
“Dirty deal, M.V.P., Manchin you are killing me,” the protesters chanted.
Manchin remarks at Semafor permitting event interrupted by climate protestors pic.twitter.com/Izc7hW2Jy0
— Ari Natter (@AriNatter) June 6, 2023
Protesters continued chanting at the venue after the video feed had been cut, assembling in the back of the room where Manchin was speaking.
When asked about the protesters interrupting his remarks, a spokesperson for Manchin said that the senator supports the right to “peacefully protest.”
“Sen. Manchin has always supported the right of every American to peacefully protest as protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution,” a spokesperson for Manchin told the Washington Examiner.
Manchin’s remarks resumed later, with him saying he tried to talk with the protesters but that his attempts at conversation were unsuccessful, per Semafor. The outlet also reported that the protesters sang “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” one of the state songs of West Virginia, during their protest.
The Mountain Valley Pipeline was expedited as part of a deal to raise the debt ceiling brokered by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and President Joe Biden. The developer of the pipeline believes they can get the pipeline completed by the end of the calendar year.
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The West Virginia senator has faced pushback from his Democratic colleagues for his support of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, with Kaine introducing an amendment to the debt ceiling bill to remove the language expediting the approval of the pipeline. Kaine’s amendment failed in the Senate.
Manchin has defended his support of the expedition of the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s approval, arguing that it is “just time to move on” and that the project has “been reviewed thoroughly.”
