Justice continues pledge of support for Trump | News, Sports, Jobs – The Daily Times
Nov 9, 2023
PARKERSBURG — The governor of West Virginia would welcome a campaign visit next year by Donald Trump and will still support the ex-president if he’s convicted of any criminal charges against him.
“You’re dadgum’ right,” Gov. Jim Justice said. “Would I stand with him arm and arm? You’re dadgum’ right.”
What’s happening to Trump and his family is terrible, Justice said at his Wednesday morning press briefing.
“I think the man did a hell of a job,” the governor said. “I mean I was on the phone day after day after day after day after day with him right in the middle of the COVID situation. And nobody knew exactly what to do. What did he do? He stood up and absolutely in a matter of no time we had a vaccine.”
Trump has been indicted by the state of New York for campaign violations over alleged an hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, by the state of Georgia for alleged election law violations of which three people have already pleaded guilty, by a federal grand jury over the alleged illegal retention of super-secret documents at his residence in Florida and by another federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., over his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attempted overthrow of an election he lost. A state judge in New York also has determined the Trump company committed civil fraud by inflating or deflating real estate values.
“Absolutely. Yeah, Jim will stand there,” Justice said.
Trump has endorsed Justice for the U.S. Senate and Justice has led in polls over Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., who also has announced he will run for the Senate. However, the filing period for office in West Virginia does not begin until Jan. 8.
Trump will be the president, again, Justice said.
“He calls me ‘Big Jim,’” Justice said. “I may not be able to come running, but absolutely I would come to his aid and walk very quickly any day I possibly could.”
In other business, the governor said he will propose a 5 percent pay raise for state employees in response to the premium increases in the Public Employees Insurance Agency.
“It should more than offset any raises in PEIA,” Justice said.
The state Democratic Party on Wednesday issued a press release saying the governor reneged on an October 2021 promise that premiums would not increase “on my watch.”
“Sixteen months after the governor’s promise apparently a meteorite hit the earth because the Legislature passed a PEIA plan including an increase in premiums of 65 percent over five years,” party Chairman Mike Pushkin said. “That very same week the legislature added insult to injury; rewarding themselves by passing a bill increasing their own pay.”
The increases were difficult to avoid, Justice said.
Other administration officials with Justice on Wednesday included Jimmy Wriston, secretary of the Department of Transportation, and Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s coronavirus adviser.
Twelve hundred of the 1,263 highway projects undertaken through the Roads to Prosperity initiative have been completed, Wriston said. The remaining projects will soon be completed, he said.
Before the administration went into office, it was easy to find a road in bad shape, Wriston said.
“They’re not all bad today,” he said.
Marsh again advised residents to speak to their doctors about getting vaccinations for the flu and RSV and to get the updated COVID shot. Families soon will get together for Thanksgiving, he said.
“It is about two weeks before people will be gathering for the Thanksgiving holiday and that is a particularly important opportunity that we can protect people and the weather gets a bit colder,” Marsh said. “It is more common that we see respiratory viruses like COVID-19 spread.”
Justice also asked people to exercise caution to prevent forest fires because the weather has been dry and announced Breeze Airways will launch a flight from Charleston to Myrtle Beach, S.C., starting May 10 at $49 one way.
“We’re just tickled to death,” he said.
(Mancini can be contacted at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com)
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