Manchin denies he’s considering changing parties, calls report BS

Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia denied reports Wednesday that he was threatening to leave the Democratic Party over internal negotiations regarding President Joe Biden’s massive spending bill. 

"It’s bullshit," Manchin said when asked by a reporter about the report from Mother Jones.  "I have no control over rumors, you guys. No control over rumors."

At one point Manchin appeared close to losing his temper after being asked again by a different reporter if he was thinking of leaving his party. 

"I can’t control rumors," Manchin loudly declared while walking back to his office. "And anyways it’s bullshit, bullshit spelled with a capital B."

According to The Hill, the liberal news outlet Mother Jones published a report accusing Manchin of threatening to become an Independent if Senate Democrats didn’t scale back Biden’s $3.5 trillion social infrastructure package.

The Mother Jones article didn’t explain how it knew Manchin is considering a party-switch, citing sources as "people who have overheard Manchin" discussing it. 

The report goes on to detail a two-step exit plan Manchin allegedly laid out. The first step includes him resigning from his Senate leadership position, and then waiting a week to see if it had any impact. The second step would be registering as an American Independent. 

The centrist Democrat has long been rumored to potentially flirt with switching parties, however he has always vehemently denied such claims. 

In July, Manchin told Fox News in an interview that he had "never considered" switching parties.

"If switching a party or whether you have a 'D' by your name or an 'R' by your name changes who you are as a person, then you're in the wrong profession," Manchin said in the interview. "It's all about you and not about the oath you take to the office, the oath to the Constitution, to protect and defend it.”