West Virginia Republicans may have to eat crow after all

For many years now, Republicans have quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) ruminated over the fact that a Democratic Senator from West Virginia sits in the Senate. Joe Manchin is about the last of the Democrats representing a state that has turned seriously redder and redder in the last few years. Republicans were determined to oust Manchin, and they thought they had their chance in Jim Justice.

Justice is the governor of West Virginia. And he has recently announced he’d be running to unseat Manchin. The GOP all crowed about it. Now they perhaps will be the ones who will have to eat crow.

Justice first has to win the Republican primary in west Virginia. No easy task. But it gets worse. Justice was sued by the Department of Justice –or rather, his son was. Justice owns many a coal business. They have made him a billionaire in the state, with his sons working at many of the businesses.

The only thing is – someone forgot to pay the bills. And this is what the litigation is over. The Justice Department has sued for over $7.6 million. I mean, that’s not exactly chump change.

These bills come as a result of fees for safety violations, bad working conditions, and mine violations. The DOJ is seeking accountability as well as money.

Only this billionaire is now saying he’s broke. That’s right. Justice’s lawyers are saying his empire has no cash. They’re wiped out. Broke. Unable to pay. There are other lawsuits, with one plaintiff having asked the U.S .Marshals to “seize millions of dollars from his accounts.”

If I were Manchin, the Senate race would be looking pretty good to me about now. Look — we have no idea how this litigation will play out, but you can bet it will become a big part of the Justice campaign. I imagine the opposition research people in West Virginia right now are licking their lips.