Manchin slams ‘17 educated idiots’ that were advising Biden during COVID

Manchin said Biden had blind spots on inflation, immigration and Afghanistan, Outgoing Independent West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin slammed some of the advice President Biden received during his time in office, arguing that the guidance created blindspots for the president on inflation, immigration and Afghanistan.

Appearing on CBS’s "The Takeout" podcast on Friday, Manchin recounted how he tried to convince Biden to work across the aisle on the American Rescue Plan and how he warned about the dangers of inflation if Democrats went through with plans to extend unemployment benefits through October 2021, but was ignored thanks to the advice of 17 Nobel laureates.

"I warned of that, and I got criticized, as you recall, they told me they had 17 Nobel laureates," Manchin said, later arguing that they were "17 educated idiots" that were telling Biden "what you want to hear because you paid them."

Manchin, who in the early days of Biden’s administration was still part of the Democratic Party, played a critical role in determining how much of the new president’s agenda would make its way through the Senate.