Sen. Joe Manchin’s campaign months ago said that it had cut ties with a longtime sole employee who called to “hang” former President Donald Trump, but new federal filings suggest otherwise.
Charlie Collins, the only salaried staffer on the West Virginia Democrat’s campaign payroll since 2018, previously shared a political cartoon on social media depicting Uncle Sam leading Trump to a noose while writing, “Hang the convict.”
When Fox News Digital contacted the campaign about Collins’ post in mid-April, a spokesperson said he was “no longer employed” and that Manchin has no tolerance for such actions.
“Sen. Manchin has always believed that a core pillar of our democracy is civil and respectful disagreement, and he has zero tolerance for violence or threats of violence,” the spokesperson said.
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However, new Federal Election Commission filings indicate the campaign may not have prohibited Collins from its operations.
In late April and early May, the committee disbursed his paycheck and a health care stipend, which could be chalked up to time worked before the announcement.
But more than two months later, on June 23, Manchin’s campaign paid Collins $1,829 for political consulting services, his recently released filings show. Collins had not received cash for consulting services before this payment.
At no other point during the second quarter — which spans April through June — did Manchin’s campaign report any other salaried employee on its payroll.
“His employment was terminated in April but was still owed a health insurance stipend which is reflected in the filings,” a Manchin spokesperson said following publication.
The spokesperson did not provide comment on the committee’s lack of salaried employees or on the consulting payments to Collins.
In addition to calling for Trump to be hanged, Collins also shared other questionable anti-Republican updates on social media. He disseminated a post that claimed the former president was attempting to exterminate everyone and another that likened him to a Taliban member.
In April 2020, a Collins post included a meme of Trump picking his nose while saying he was “trying to kill us all” by suggesting treatments for COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic.
“Hey Trumpsters, have you finally figured out this idiot is trying to kill all of us?” Collins wrote. “Between his idiotic statement about the disinfectant and his press conferences promoting hydroxychloroquine, that doesn’t work, how much more evidence do Americans need to see what a complete moron this man is.”
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In September of that year, Collins shared a picture from the Occupy Democrats Facebook page depicting Trump, GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and other Republican lawmakers as members of the Taliban.
Collins also shared various other dubious items, including another Occupy Democrats post claiming Republicans “conspired with an enemy to destroy our democracy.”
