On Wednesday’s “Morning Joe,” Democrat West Virginia senator Joe Manchin broke with the rest of his party, which has been stonewalling the possibility of the Senate calling Hunter Biden as a witness in the impeachment trial of President Trump. Asked by host Willie Geist if Hunter Biden was a “relevant witness,” Manchin answered “I think so. I really do. I don’t have a problem there because this is why we are where we are.” He continued, “Now I think he can clear himself, what I know and what I’ve heard, but being afraid to put anybody that might have pertinent information is wrong, no matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, and not go home and say ‘Well, I protected one who was afraid—’ No. If it’s relevant, then it should be there,” as The Hill reported.

.@WillieGeist asks @Sen_JoeManchin if Hunter Biden is a 'relevant witness.' Sen. Manchin responds: "I think so; I really do." pic.twitter.com/ZESiUMWTWc — Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) January 29, 2020

When Kasie Hunt followed by asking him if he would call Hunter Biden as a witness, Manchin reportedly answered, “If the judge or whoever rules that it is pertinent, absolutely.”

Follow up Q from @kasie: would you vote to call Hunter in as witness: "If the judge or whoever rules that it is pertinent, absolutely." @Morning_Joe — Mike Memoli (@mikememoli) January 29, 2020

Washington Post reporter Robert Costa contacted Manchin to ask if he stood by his comments; Coast reported that Manchin said he did, but when Costa asked if Manchin would consider calling former Vice President Joe Biden as a witness, Manchin replied he was against the idea, calling it a “bridge too far.”

Just spoke with Sen. Manchin. He stood by his comments on @Morning_Joe about supporting possibly calling Hunter Biden. Asked him if he’d be open to calling VP Biden. He said no, called that a “bridge too far.” — Robert Costa (@costareports) January 29, 2020

As The Hill reported last week, Democrats have been adamantly opposed to calling Hunter Biden as a witness:

Senate Democrats are dismissing chatter about attempts at an agreement that would guarantee former national security adviser John Bolton testifies in President Trump’s impeachment trial in exchange for former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden also testifying … Charles Schumer (D-NY) asked about a potential swap, argued that “witnesses should have something to do with and direct knowledge of the charges against the president. You know, we don’t need to have witnesses that have nothing to do with this that are trying to distract Americans from the truth,” Schumer said.

Schumer was asked again about the possibility of calling Hunter Biden; he answered, “That’s off the table.” Lead impeachment manager Adam Schiff echoed that Hunter Biden was “irrelevant and immaterial,” adding, “This isn’t like some fantasy football trade. … This isn’t we’ll offer you this, if you give us that.”

Democratic Maryland senator Chris Van Hollen chimed in, calling a Bolton for Hunter Biden swap a “total sideshow … Focusing on Hunter Biden just furthers the entire scheme … Trump put forward.”

Democratic Delaware senator Chris Coons told CNN’s “New Day” that such a deal “would mean trading a relevant witness who should be testifying for a witness who has nothing to do with the charges against the president. There was some mistake in reporting in another news outlet that suggested somehow, I was part of a group that was trying to cut some deal … I’m not involved in a conversation like that,” adding later on Twitter, that witnesses “have to be relevant to the case … It isn’t complicated. The President is on trial here, not anyone with the last name Biden. VP Biden and Hunter Biden are not relevant witnesses.”