Jim Justice Finds Another Way To Use His Office To Line His Own Pockets

A tax bill financially benefiting one of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s properties was fast-tracked to pass in the legislature. When legislators tried to make sure Justice couldn’t profit, a Republican ally blocked that effort.
Justice has a habit of finding a way to to look out for himself. Justice’s family farm received a subsidy meant to bail out farmers struggling to stay afloat amidst the trade war. Farming operators collected $125,000 in taxpayer dollars, the maximum any farming business could receive, but “they didn’t have to prove specific losses.”
Justice also proposed a federal tax subsidy for Appalachian coal in a plan that could have netted “his own mines millions of dollars.” Justice still is heavily involved in his business empire while making governing decisions and even left a press conference early to defend one of his businesses in court.
What doesn’t have Justice’s full attention is doing the job of governing. Instead he is battling lawsuits from his businesses. One Republican state senator says Justice spends less time at the Statehouse than any governor he has ever seen. Another Republican put it simply, saying, “I just don’t think he [Justice] works on state government.”
“Jim Justice is using the governor’s office to increase his net worth at the expense of West Virginia,” said DGA Communications Director David Turner. “While Justice is absent on the job to defend his failing businesses, West Virginia suffers under his neglect. If only Jim Justice would treat the needs of West Virginians with the same urgency as lining his own pockets, the state would be much better off.”