Manchin says the report is "bullshit"

Manchin says the report is bullshit

A report from Mother Jones that moderate Senator Joe Manchin was considering leaving the Democratic party has been doing the rounds for an hour. He was quick to deny it, saying it was "bullshit with a capital B".

The report is full of details that make it tough to discount, though it's filled with anonymous sources. It's unclear if he would sit as an independent or switch to the Republican side.

Manchin told associates that he was prepared to initiate his exit plan earlier this week and had mentioned the possibility to Biden. But he was encouraged by the conversations with Sanders and top Democrats that occurred at the start of the week and did not yet see a reason to take this step. Still, he has informed associates that because he is so out of sync with the Democratic Party, he believes it is likely he will leave the party by November 2022.