Senator Manchin changes his mind on Acosta

Perhaps sensing that the political winds have shifted, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin appears to have changed his views on the Secretary of Labor. Earlier this week (see last post), Manchin said:

I’m going to basically judge him on what job he’s doing and how he’s doing it.

Not any more -- Manchin has changed his mind:

“Knowing what we know today, if it all proves to be accurate . . . then I would not have supported him, and I’m not even sure Alex would have made it through the vetting process,” Manchin said.

“That didn’t come out till after he had already been confirmed.”

At least Manchin’s willing to admit that he made a mistake:

“If it proves accurate, I’d have made a mistake and I would not have voted for Alex,” Manchin added.

Here's Manchin:

JUST NOW: @Sen_JoeManchin says he would NOT have supported the confirmation of Secretary Alex Acosta "if what we know today proves to be accurate." pic.twitter.com/Y4VCICLvLA

— Alli Hedges (@AllisonLHedges) July 11, 2019

Senator Shelley Moore Hypocrite says nothing

I could find nothing new from Senator Capito beyond her support for him on Tuesday. (See prevous post.) Apparently, she’s waiting to hear from President Trump and the Republican Party on what she should say about Acosta. However, I did find more on Capito’s concern for human trafficking, which along with rural broadband, appear to be her two pet causes. Here’s a sample:

From her congressional website in April of 2015 (not long after she became senator):

CAPITO: HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS WILL NO LONGER GO UNNOTICED

From West Liberty University's News and Information shortly afterwards:

U.S. SEN. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO HOSTS HUMAN TRAFFICKING SUMMIT ON CAMPUS

And from her website earlier this year:

CAPITO INTRODUCES BILL TO EXEMPT TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS’ RESTITUTION FROM FEDERAL TAXES

Obviously, Senator Capito wants us to believe that she is concerned about human trafficking. Really? From today's Democracy Now, here is the man she defended earlier this week:

Acosta has also come under fire for his proposal to cut funding for victims of sex trafficking. His 2020 budget proposal for the Department of Labor includes an almost 80% decrease in funds for the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, the office tasked with fighting child sex trafficking. Critics of the proposal argue it would effectively dismantle many programs aimed at preventing child sex trafficking and put large numbers of children at risk.

So tell me again, Senator, how much you care about the problem of sex trafficking.

(Today's Intercept is also documenting what Acosta's Labor Department is doing to trafficking victims.)