GOP governor blames 'Democrat machine' after bank forecloses on his luxury hotel
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is blaming Democrats for his financial troubles that have led to a luxury resort he owns facing foreclosure and auction.
According to the nonprofit outlet Real WV, Justice, a Trump-loving coal magnate who briefly switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party to run for governor before switching back to the GOP, put out a statement through his company about the potential selloff of the Greenbrier Resort, an extravagant luxury property in the southern part of the state commonly used by House Republicans for their retreats.
Justice is running for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring independent Sen. Joe Manchin — and is claiming, without evidence, that the foreclosure is a political move to embarrass him.
The statement issued on behalf of Justice by the resort's corporate lawyer, Bob Wolford of Grand Rapids, was titled, “ANOTHER POLITICAL STUNT BY THE DEMOCRAT MACHINE.”
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“Let me be clear that the Greenbrier will not be sold, and the Justice family will take all necessary action to ensure that there will not be any adverse impact on their ownership of the Greenbrier or the Greenbrier’s operations and the ability of the Greenbrier to continue to provide world class service for its guests will be uninterrupted,” said the statement. “After purchasing the loan, Beltway immediately declared the loan to be in default and initiated suit against the Governor and certain of his Companies and commenced foreclosure proceedings against the Greenbrier. This deceitful move by JPMorgan is nothing more than the latest political stunt by the Democrats to undermine the next Republican Senator from West Virginia.”
Justice, who was once worth $1.6 billion but whose fortune has declined in recent years, has faced extensive financial difficulties, compounded by allegations that he has evaded taxes and debt obligations to creditors. In 2020, Justice and his family received up to $24 million from COVID relief programs, with the Greenbrier alone receiving $10 million in Paycheck Protection Aid, despite putting up no guarantee the money would be used to avoid layoffs.
The Justice Department alleged in a lawsuit filed last year that Justice's mining businesses are delinquent on $5 million in fines for safety violations.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect Sen. Joe Manchin is no longer a Democrat. He is a registered independent.