As Joe Manchin prepares to leave Congress after nearly 15 years, the West Virginia senator — who left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent earlier this year — is further distancing himself from his former party,

Washington DC - Outgoing Senator Joe Manchin had sharp words for his former party as he prepares to leave Congress. "The D-brand has been so maligned from the standpoint of, it’s just, it’s toxic," Manchin told CNN's Manu Raju in an interview broadcast Sunday.

Retiring Sen. Joe Manchin Monday trashed the Democratic Party as “toxic” in an interview timed to his departure from Washington D.C. The moderate lawmaker, who won two terms as senator in deep-red West Virginian, told CNN’s Manu Raju that the national party has moved too far from its working-class roots.