Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann lambasted Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin Tuesday, cursing at him for inserting approval of a natural gas pipeline for West Virginia into the tentative debt ceiling deal agreement.
"Joe Biden has still kicked Kevin McCarthy’s a-- in the debt deal. Now, he may also get the chance to also kick Joe Manchin’s a-- in the debt deal. Manchin, that putrid, unreliable, sheep in sheep’s clothing, has sneaked into it approval for the Mountain Valley gas pipeline."
Manchin, who has long portrayed himself as a centrist Democratic leader, thanked Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy for his assistance in expediting the pipeline.
"I am pleased Speaker McCarthy and his leadership team see the tremendous value in completing the MVP to increase domestic energy production and drive down costs across America and especially in West Virginia," Manchin said Sunday in a statement. "I am proud to have fought for this critical project."
Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann lambasted Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin Tuesday, cursing at him for inserting a natural gas pipeline for West Virginia into the tentative debt ceiling deal agreement. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
The 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline "would carry West Virginia shale gas to the East Coast but has been tripped up by dozens of environmental violations and a slew of court fights," according to The Washington Post.
The Post detailed how some left-wing environmental groups have criticized Manchin's pipeline as bad news for the nation.
"Any deal that attempts to expedite the fracked gas Mountain Valley Pipeline, that rolls back bedrock environmental protections, and makes life harder for workers and families already struggling is a bad deal for the country," the Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous said in a statement.
Olbermann praised Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine for introducing an amendment to "remove the pipeline" and, as he described it, "save Biden from pi--ing away the prestige of kicking McCarthy’s a--."
DEBT CEILING AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE REACHED BETWEEN DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS
Manchin chairs the powerful Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and has called for reducing permit times on so-called green energy projects.
"In the United States, it often takes between five and ten years — sometimes longer — to get critical energy infrastructure projects approved, putting us years behind allies like Canada, Australia, and more recently the EU, who each have policies designed to complete permitting in three years or less," Manchin said in a statement.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Manchin's office for comment but has yet to hear back.
Fox News’ Thomas Catenacci contributed to this report.