Justice fires Gayle Manchin from Dept. of Education and Arts

Gov. Jim Justice announced Monday night that he had fired Education and the Arts Secretary Gayle Manchin, wife of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., after she sent out a news release in which she offered to “resign to remove any political pressure.”

“She was told that we accepted her resignation, she refused, and we terminated her,” Justice said in the 7:51 p.m. news release. The Gazette-Mail received Gayle Manchin’s news release late Monday afternoon.

“We have not made a decision yet on legislation [House Bill 4006] to reorganize the Department of the Education and the Arts,” Justice said of a bill the West Virginia Legislature has passed. The legislation would actually eliminate that department and Manchin’s position, sending the department’s agencies elsewhere in state government.

“Earlier today, Secretary Manchin asked the chief of staff, Mike Hall, about how she should approach this,” Justice said. “She was told by the chief of staff to do nothing based upon my public comments this morning, and that my decision to veto or sign this bill has not been made.

Read more: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/education/justice-fires-gayle-manchin-from-dept-of-education-and-arts/article_7a9aca97-ff9d-5495-95a5-7a89b0bda58d.html