Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was using “awful” words that ‘”divide'” while denying that he is beholden to Exxon and other fossil fuel lobbyists.
Partial transcript as follows:
BASH: I’m sure you have heard your fellow Democrat Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said this about you in a tweet: “Manchin has weekly huddles with Exxon and is one of many senators who gives lobbyists their pen to write so-called bipartisan fossil fuels bills. It’s killing people. Sick of this bipartisan corruption that masquerades as clear-eyed moderation.” This is your fellow Democrat.
MANCHIN: Well.
BASH: Is it true that you have weekly meetings with Exxon and other lobbyists for fossil fuels?
MANCHIN: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. And you ask them if they have ever — no, they don’t — weekly meetings, I don’t…
BASH: It’s just false?
MANCHIN: I keep my door open for everybody. It’s totally false. And those types of superlatives, it’s just awful. Continue to divide, divide, divide. I don’t know that young lady that well. I really don’t. I have met her one time, I think, between sets here. But that’s it. So we have not had any conversations. She just speculating and saying things because she wants to…
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: She’s not the only one. I’m sure you have heard. There are a number of your fellow Democrats who say that you’re opposed to this because you’re bought and paid for by corporate donors.
MANCHIN: I’m opposed to it — I’m opposed to it because it makes no sense at all. I just gave you the facts. I have said this. You’re entitled to your own facts — I mean, your own opinions. You’re just not entitled to create your own facts to support it. And that’s exactly what they’re doing. The facts that I have given you, the transition is happening, reliability. Look what happened in Texas. It was natural gas that basically shut down in Texas that caused all that horrible carnage of people. It was awful.
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