Thread by @Monaheart1229

Last night The Intercept broke a call Joe Manchin had with a billionaire donor gp asking for help with 3 more votes on 1/6 Commission
-his "last, best argument" for keeping the filibuster
Poss ethics violations trying to get a Blunt vote
Thin line Senator!
theintercept.com/2021/06/16/joe…

2/"Manchin told the assembled donors that he needed help flipping a handful of Republicans from no to yes on the January 6 commission in order to strip the “far left” of their best argument against the filibuster. om lines.

3/"The filibuster is a critical priority for the donors on the call, as it bottles up progressive legislation that would hit their bottom lines. When it came to Sen. Roy Blunt, a moderate Missouri Republican who voted no on the commission, Manchin offered a creative solution.

4/".. Regarding Blunt, Manchin appears to be suggesting — without, perhaps, quite explicitly saying so — that the wealthy executives on the call could dangle future financial opportunities in front of the outgoing senator while lobbying him to change his vote.

5/"Senate ethics rules forbid future job negotiations if they create a conflict of interest or present even the appearance of a conflict of interest.

6/"Manchin, notably, doesn’t suggest that the donors discuss a job, but rather says that people who Blunt may later be working with would be likely to have significant influence, reflective of the way future job prospects can shape the legislative process even when unspoken.

7/"During the Zoom event, Manchin’s Senate office appeared in the background. It is against campaign finance ethics rules to solicit funds while in a federal building,

8/"but Manchin did no solicitation beyond the broad suggestion that donors help out Republicans who switch their votes on the commission. .."
~excerpts The Intercept

MORE:
"THE GROUP IS passionately supportive of the filibuster, and when multiple donors quizzed Manchin on his stance on it, the senator displayed an openness to reform that is at odds with his latest public statements.

9/"Manchin’s openness for filibuster reform on the call is notable given it flew in the face of many attendees’ hopes. Asked about a proposal to lower the threshold to beat back a filibuster to 55 votes, he said that it was something he was considering,

10/"but then quickly referred back to his earlier idea of forcing the minority to show up on the Senate floor in large enough numbers to maintain a filibuster.

11/"Manchin acknowledged that publicly he had drawn a line at 60, but said that he was open to other ideas. “Right now, 60 is where I planted my flag, but as long as they know that I’m going to protect this filibuster, we’re looking at good solutions,”

12/"..Manchin said that he was prepared to specify his objections to S.1 ... In the voting rights and democracy reform bill, he said, he opposed automatic voter registration because some rural voting locations don’t have internet access to check a voter’s eligibility.

13/"He also opposed a provision in the bill that restricted a state’s ability to purge voter rolls, which he said would make the rolls less reliable. And .. reservations related to some of the campaign finance reform provisions

14/" .. Those specific objections, notably, were absent from a second Charleston Gazette-Mail opinion column written by Manchin last week, stating his opposition to the For the People Act.

15/"In the piece, Manchin argued that the bill was done in a “partisan manner” and that he objected to such a sweeping bill that is “solely supported by one party.” ..
And more
READ THIS piece!