John Cornyn said he sent a text to Sen. Joe Manchin inviting him to join the Republican Party.
Cornyn told KXAN that he sent Manchin a message saying, "Joe, if they don't want you we do."
The greatest Christmas gift I can think of is recruiting Manchin to join the GOP.
Cornyn didn't know what he would do. I know that West Virginia has gotten increasingly red.
The White House and Democrats criticized Manchin over his announcement on "Fox News Sunday" that he wouldn't be voting for Biden's bill.
The bill requires the support of all Democratic senators to pass, but Manchin said he couldn't back it due to concerns about inflation and the cost of the package.
Biden told a Tuesday press conference that he would continue working with Manchin to pass a bill, despite Manchin's opposition to the bill.
Senate Minority Leader McConnell said Tuesday that Manchin was welcome to join the GOP because of the chaos in the Democrats.
There have been rumors about Manchin's political loyalties, with his opposition to large government spending programs placing him at odds with many congressional Democrats.
Mother Jones reported in October that Manchin had a plan to leave the Democratic caucus, but he had rejected the rumors before. According to sources close to Manchin, he would represent West Virginia as an independent rather than join the Republicans.
