Manchin says Biden ‘should be very sorry’ over secret files debacle: Democratic senator also complains that President has been ‘pulled’ too far left – and will NOT say if he will support Joe in 2024
- West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has blasted President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents as ‘irresponsible’ after more files were found
- Manchin did not want to say whether he would run as a Democrat himself in 2024
- Asked if he would support Biden if he ran, Manchin said he needed to see “the state of the country.”
West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin on Sunday attacked President Joe Biden for his handling of classified documents, a day after it was announced that another batch of such records was recovered from his Wilmington home.
Manchin responded directly to Biden, who last week claimed he had no regrets about the matter, saying, “Oh, I think he should be very sorry.”
He was noncommittal about the prospect of Biden’s likely re-election campaign – claiming the president was “pulled to the left” rather than the government at center.
,How did this happen?’ the conservative Democrat said on NBC News’ Meet The Press amid more questions about Biden’s handling of classified files.
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin said President Joe Biden should “regret” his handling of classified documents.
Describing his own experience of viewing classified material in their secure facilities, Manchin said he was asked if he was “clean” every time he left.
“You want to make sure you’re not doing anything. You know, and it could be a mistake, you could just put it in your other papers, but you double-check it right there,” Manchin said.
“That said, being held accountable and held accountable is who we all are. And bringing them into unsecured spaces is irresponsible.”
That notion is supported by a majority of Americans, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll, which shows 64 percent of voters think Biden handled the files “inappropriately.”
It’s too early to tell if the unfolding debacle will have any real impact on Biden’s prospective 2024 campaign. A recent report in The Hill suggests that despite the drama, the president is still moving forward full steam ahead to launch his reelection bid this year.
Biden was forced to deal with one crisis after another as more classified documents were found and reported in his possessions
But Manchin hesitated Sunday when asked if he wanted Biden to run again.
“He’s going to have to make that decision,” the West Virginia senator replied, adding that it was a “personal” decision for the 79-year-old president.
Pressed again on whether he would support Biden if that decision were to be made, Manchin said, “I haven’t decided on anything I’m going to do until I see what the state of the country is going to be like at that point in time.” for this country must unite.”
“We need to get back together. We don’t get together. And it has to be someone who can bring this country together,” the center senator added.
He went out of his way to praise Biden, acknowledging that his party’s leader had “done a good job across so many factions.”
“I think there’s still a lot to do,” Manchin said.
Images of the entrance to President Joe Biden’s lakefront home in Wilmington, DE
‘I think he was pulled too far to the left and I think I told him so. I was open about it.’
He urged both sides of the aisle to “work from the middle,” even as lawmakers return to regular legislative sessions on Monday and face a deeply divided Congress.
“Republican ideas are not always bad. And Democrats don’t have all the answers,” Manchin said. ‘And vice versa.’
The 75-year-old Democrat from West Virginia is up for re-election next year, when he is expected to face stiff competition to keep his seat in the Deep Red state.
But he dodged a question about whether he would have run on the left at all.
“I haven’t made a decision yet on what I’m going to do in 2024. I have two years ahead of me now to do what is best for the state and my country,” Manchin said when asked if he “d run as a Democrat.