After Joe Manchin figuratively killed the Build Back Better Act yesterday, the White House went into attack mode.

Apparently before Manchin went on “Fox News Sunday” to announce that he could not support BBB, the White House was informed of what was going to happen – and tried to talk him out of it.

Less than 30 minutes before he killed the Democratic Party’s most important piece of legislation, an aide was dispatched by Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) to give the White House and congressional leadership a heads up.”

The senator himself was about to go live and was prepping for his interview with BRET BAIER on “Fox News Sunday.” He was out of town with family and doing the hit via satellite, but still had his best Sunday show attire. He wore a red tie and pin-striped suit. His hair looked perfect. It would probably be one of the most viral video clips of his long career.”

At the White House, there was panic and disbelief. “He sent an aide to tell the president of the United States that he was about to go on Fox News and put a bullet in BBB?”

Top White House officials scrambled to call the senator and talk him out of what he was about to do.”

“We tried to head him off,” a senior White House official told Playbook, but Manchin “refused to take a call from White House staff.”

And we all know what happened next.

“I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation.”  — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) says President Biden’s Build Back Better plan “is a no.”

“I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there.” pic.twitter.com/HsgXgYms3e

— The Recount (@therecount) December 19, 2021

Notice in the clip that Manchin is still complimentary of Biden himself. However, the Democrats went apeshit over seeing their cherished piece of never-ending spending having a stake driven through its heart. Elected officials like AOC and Chuck Schumer had their temper tantrums, but it was the response from the White House itself that was most telling. Jen Psaki put out a press release after Manchin’s interview, and let’s just say that if there was a bridge to convincing Manchin to come back to the table, she burned it.

Senator Manchin’s comments this morning on FOX are at odds with his discussions this week with the President, with White House staff, and with his own public utterances. Weeks ago, Senator Manchin committed to the President, at his home in Wilmington, to support the Build Back Better framework that the President then subsequently announced. Senator Manchin pledged repeatedly to negotiate on finalizing that framework “in good faith.”

On Tuesday of this week, Senator Manchin came to the White House and submitted—to the President, in person, directly—a written outline for a Build Back Better bill that was the same size and scope as the President’s framework, and covered many of the same priorities. While that framework was missing key priorities, we believed it could lead to a compromise acceptable to all. Senator Manchin promised to continue conversations in the days ahead, and to work with us to reach that common ground. If his comments on FOX and written statement indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the President and the Senator’s colleagues in the House and Senate.”

Hey Jen, politics might be a blood sport, but Manchin did not swear a blood oath to Biden in saying he would negotiate “in good faith.” The problem is that YOU DIDN’T LISTEN TO HIM. The White House assumed they could keep pushing Manchin into submission. They failed, and they can’t stand it. And everyone noticed that Psaki lit a match to the bridge.

It boils down to this: Manchin doesn’t give a lick if the Democratic Party doesn’t like him. Biden lost West Virginia by nearly 40 points, and his constituents aren’t inclined to support anything with the president’s name attached to it. In that sense, being assailed by the left only helps Manchin politically.”

What’s more, after calling Manchin a liar (in so many words), the White House has put itself in an awfully tough spot to restart negotiations with him. Even if Manchin did provide Biden with assurances he could get on board with BBB in some form, he’s been on record for a long time about his concerns with spending nearly $2 trillion when the nation is $30 trillion in debt and inflation is at a 40-year high. Those are fundamental ideological divides that are hard to bridge.”

Well, Manchin did a local interview this morning and he was firing back on all cylinders.

And he pointed the finger DIRECTLY at the White House staff.

Sen. Joe Manchin said Monday he ended up killing President Biden’s massive social and environmental spending bill because White House staff drove him to his “wit’s end.”

“It is not the president. This is staff,” the West Virginia Democrat told home-state radio host Hoppy Kercheval.”

“And they drove some things, and they put some things out, that were absolutely inexcusable. They know what it is.”

Manchin continued: “I’m always willing to work and listen to try. I just got to the wit’s end and they know the real reasons what happened.”

Later in the interview, Manchin slammed fellow Democrats and activist groups who tried to “beat the living crap” out of him to win his support for the bill.”

“They figured, ‘Surely to God we can move one person. Surely we can badger and beat one person up. Surely we can get enough protesters to make that person uncomfortable enough they will just say, “OK I’ll vote for anything, just quit.”‘ Well guess what?,” Manchin said. “I’m from West Virginia. I’m not from where they’re from and they can beat the living crap out of people and think they will be submissive.”

So, who is on the receiving end of Manchin’s ire? He didn’t name names, but people are guessing.

Manchin didn’t identify by name the White House officials he holds responsible for the failed negotiations. The White House director of legislative affairs is Louisa Terrell, but other senior West Wing aides have prominent roles in brokering bills, including White House chief of staff Ron Klain, Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice, and Counselor to the President Steve Ricchetti.”

Again, this illustrates just how-not-in-charge Joe Biden is. Manchin is clear that Biden was not the problem, but the White House staff running the show was. Is Biden now going to look among his staff and ask “which one of you f***ed this up for me?” Unlikely, since he couldn’t be bothered to fire anyone over the colossal screw-up in Afghanistan. Biden is merely a puppet of the Obama retread radical left staffers, and they overplayed their hand with Joe Manchin. As a result, they alienated the senator that they really couldn’t afford to piss off, and they can’t seem to realize that it’s THEIR fault.

Featured image: Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), official portrait, cropped, public domain