Manchin: Sorry for Skipping Votes to Attend Party

Skipping key votes for a Christmas party probably isn’t the best strategy for a new senator – just ask freshly elected West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin. He apologized Tuesday for missing votes on the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and the DREAM Act over the weekend to attend a Christmas party, The Hill reports.

Manchin previously used the defense that this would be one of his few chances to see his family during the holidays. But after his own allies took him to task, Manchin recanted.

"Let me apologize to anybody and everybody within our listening and reading areas. I'm very sorry for missing the two votes,” Manchin said during a conference call with reporters, according to MetroNews of West Virginia.

Skipping the votes "isn't just a bad political maneuver, it is ineffective representation and leadership," West Virginia AFL-CIO chief Kenny Perdue says in a statement.