The Rev. Al Sharpton and other Civil Rights leaders just wrapped up a meeting with Sen. Joe Manchin over HR1/S1 and police reform, saying the West Virginia Democrat “listened to us intently and will be back to us within days”:
Had a very candid virtual meeting w/ Sen. Manchin and Civil Rights leaders for over an hour.We laid out why his support on Voting and Police reform laws are vital. He says he listened to us intently and will be back to us within days.
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) June 8, 2021
“Puttin on the squeeze”?
Al puttin on the squeeze. https://t.co/TkMXNjhrHj
— Kira (@RealKiraDavis) June 8, 2021
Sharpton told reporters the same thing as his tweet after the meeting:
.@TheRevAl tells me he and other civil rights leaders had a "candid, not hostile" conversation w/ Manchin this morning. Manchin said he is committed to finding a bipartisan path on voting rights. Sharpton: "I’m a minister but there’s a difference between faith and fantasy." (1/)
— Katie Rogers (@katierogers) June 8, 2021
Manchin did not bring up any substantive issues he had with the For the People Act. Manchin was told the John Lewis bill did not go far enough to address changes being made at the state level right now. (2/)
— Katie Rogers (@katierogers) June 8, 2021
Manchin said he wanted a few days to think about the arguments laid out in the meeting and would be in touch in a few days. He told the group he was committed to trying to get something done on the George Floyd bill. (3/)
— Katie Rogers (@katierogers) June 8, 2021
NOTE: As for the John Lewis bill, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said that won’t be read to go until the fall anyway:
Pelosi to House Democrats this morning following Manchin's opposition to For The People Act (HR1/S1): "It essential HR 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, become law. HR 4 must be passed, but it will not be ready until the fall, and it is not a substitute for HR 1."
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) June 8, 2021
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But according to media reports quoting Sen. Joe Manchin, his mind is made up on HR1/S1 and he still won’t be supporting it:
After meeting with civil rights advocates, Sen. Joe Manchin tells reporters that it was a productive conversation, but his mind is still unchanged on The S1 voting rights bill.
— Lauren Fox (@FoxReports) June 8, 2021
Don’t wait by the phone, Al:
1) From colleague Kelly Phares. Manchin on talking w/civil rights grps today about voting rights: I'm very honored we all got the chance to speak and listen to each other.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) June 8, 2021
2) Manchin: I'm very much concerned about our democracy. Protecting voting rights. Making sure that's done and making sure we understand how fragile we are as a country.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) June 8, 2021
3) When asked if any of his views about S.1 changed after the meeting, Manchin replied "no."
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) June 8, 2021
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