Biden DOJ sues WV Gov. Justice seeking fees over coal mine environmental violations

The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that it was suing West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice to collect allegedly-owed funds stemming from environmental and health violations by his family's coal empire.

The agency seeks $7.6 million in total restitution, which the DOJ says belongs to the Department of the Interior, according to the Washington Times. In the suit, the DOJ names 13 coal companies under the control of Justice and his son, James C. Justice III.

Under intense scrutiny from Republicans over its alleged political biases, the suit has intensified claims of a partisan DOJ because of Justice's status as a Republican candidate for Senate.

Both Justice and GOP Rep. Alex Mooney have declared their bids for the party's Senate nomination in 2024. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who has not announced his 2024 plans, is widely considered to be among the most vulnerable members of his party in the upper chamber.

The suit drew condemnation from Republicans, with National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Tate Mitchell saying, per the Times, that "Joe Biden’s Department of Justice has gone totally rogue... Democrats weaponizing the federal government to attack the family of a Republican Senate candidate is a complete abuse of power."

Polling data shows that Justice enjoys a considerable lead over Manchin in a hypothetical matchup.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.