Sen. Dick Durbin spokeswoman deletes tweet criticizing Manchin, locks down account

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Manchin breaks away from Democrats on election reform bill, reaffirms support for filibuster

Rep. French Hill R-Ark., tells 'Fox Report' that the Democratic senator's decision shows 'speaks to the center-right nature of West Virginia and our country'

Press secretary for Senate Majority Whip Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., deleted a tweet in which she slammed Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and then preceded to lock her Twitter account. 

Jenna Valle-Riestra, who serves as press secretary for the Senate Judiciary Committee which is chaired by Sen. Durbin, appeared to take a shot, Sunday evening, at Manchin’s refusal to remove the filibuster and his opposition to Democrats voting-rights bill, S.1 For the People Act.

"All I’m saying is I don’t think our founding fathers anticipated the survival of this democratic experiment to rest in the hands of a man who lives in a house boat," she tweeted. 

The tweet was quickly deleted shortly after she published it. 

Screenshot/Twitter

NEW YORK TIMES BLASTED FOR ‘BIASED’ TWEET AGAINST SEN. JOE MANCHIN’S MODERATE POSITIONS

Valle-Riestra also locked her account and scrubbed her biography of her employment with Durbin and other Democrats. 

Screenshot/Twitter

Fox News reached out to Valle-Riestra and Sen. Durbin's office separately for comment.

When asked about the staffer's tweet, Sen. Durbin's Communication Director Emily Hampsten responded, "Senators Durbin and Manchin are friends. They’re working closely together on many important issues. Any other interpretation misreads the relationship." 

Valle-Riestra didn't respond for comment. 

The Charleston Gazette-Mail in Charleston, West Virginia published an op-ed from Manchin on Sunday in which he announced his opposition to Democrat-backed voting rights bill S.1, known as the For the People Act, and restated his opposition to eliminating the filibuster. The news was a blow to President Joe Biden and Democrats as any major legislation will need the support of 10 Republicans to overcome the filibuster.

Manchin’s announcement was met with fierce criticism from progressive lawmakers and reporters. Democratic lawmaker Rep. Mondaire Jones, N.Y., slammed the West Virginia senator and called his reasoning "unsound" and "unserious."

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Left-wing CNN anchors Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo blasted Manchin for supporting the filibuster. The New York Times also framed the senator’s moderate position as a refusal to combat voter suppression and not wanting to restore "ethical controls."