Sen. Joe Manchin says Jan. 6 Capitol riot 'changed me,' making him more committed to bipartisanship

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published 9 April 2021

The Jan. 6 Capitol assault was a turning point for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), he told CNN on Thursday.

The riot "changed me," he said, adding that he never thought he would witness "our seat of government" under attack "by our own people." After the assault, Manchin said he felt an urge to "hit the pause button," because "something's wrong. You can't have this many people split to where they want to go to war with each other."

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"I've watched people that had power and abused it," Manchin told CNN. "I've watched people that sought power and destroyed themselves, and I've watched people that have a moment of time to make a difference and change things and used it — I would like to be that third." He emphasized that there is "a time and a place" to use reconciliation, and he won't be "killing the filibuster." Read more of Manchin's interview at CNN.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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