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Apparently Joe Manchin Has Weekly Check-in Calls With an Exxon Lobbyist.

Is anyone surprised?

Lauren Elizabeth
3 min readJul 2, 2021
Samuel Corum / Getty Images file

For those of us on the left who follow politics, it’s been abundantly clear since before Joe Biden even assumed the position of the Presidency that Joe Manchin was going to embrace his role as the face of a broader obstructionist movement coming from the corporate wing of the Democratic party. Needless to say, he has more than delivered, whether we consider the fight for a $15 minimum wage, filibuster reform, or the voting rights act. Joe Manchin has undeniably served as an obstacle in virtually every way he possibly can in the effort to get meaningful legislation passed, with other likeminded Democrats quietly supporting him behind the scenes.

Given his actions, can we really be surprised that Manchin has weekly check in meetings with a lobbyist from Exxon?

As Alex Thompson with Channel 4 discusses in his article on the topic, Exxon’s chief lobbyist for Washington, Keith McCoy, has found himself the center of attention following recently discovered footage released by Greenpeace UK.

Thompson’s article cites McCoy’s own words, writing:

“When you have an opportunity to talk to a member of Congress, I liken it to fishing, right? You know you have bait, you throw that bait out. And they…

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Lauren Elizabeth
Lauren Elizabeth

Written by Lauren Elizabeth

Lauren is a writer & leftist with analysis on topics related to politics & policy. She can be reached at LaurenMartinchek@gmail.com or Twitter @xlauren_mx

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