Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., extended an olive branch on Thursday to his Republican colleagues and the incoming GOP administration, stating he would have no personal issue confirming Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., for attorney general.
“I know Jeff Sessions. Jeff is a friend of mine and I would say I would support Jeff,” Manchin told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday evening. “The things they’re saying about Jeff – I’ve never seen any trace of that.”
The moderate Democrat and coal enthusiast said it is the Senate’s job to give the president the executive team he desires, unless nominees are wildly inappropriate for the job.
“First of all, I’m not saying that I would be opposed to anybody because I believe there should be differences to the executive selection of putting his team together. I was an executive. I asked the state senate to please give me the chance to put my people together. If they don’t perform, it’s on me, not you,” Manchin said.
Manchin also plans to vote for Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.
“He’s a tremendous person. Now they said ‘are you worried about Rex because he might have a relationship with Putin.’ I said ‘I hope somebody does because we haven’t been talking to the Russians and I’m concerned that we don’t have any kind of rapport with them whatsoever,'” Manchin said.
“What you should be asking is making sure he can divest himself from his financial holdings so it’s not tied to the performance of Exxon Mobil when he leaves. If that can be separated, we can move on.”
Manchin had been under consideration for a post in Trump’s cabinet. He was criticized by outgoing Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid for expressing a willingness to help Trump in the Senate.
Manchin’s bipartisan overtures had been taken as a hint he could be switching parties in the future, but he dismissed such speculation earlier Thursday.
“I’m just working and trying to make this place work,” Manchin said. “My identity being a Democrat or your identity being a Republican should not interfere with our identity being an American. I don’t know why people get all bent up on that.”
