Manchin tells Va. company to remove his interview from film on Upper Big Branch mine explosion

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is demanding his name and interview be removed from a documentary funded by former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship. The documentary “Upper Big Branch – Never Again” released Monday and its credits clearly state it is “a film by Don Blankenship.” The film’s opening disclaimer, however, says people’s participation in the documentary via interviews “is not in association or affiliation with Don Blankenship.” In the letter sent to Adriot Films Tuesday, Manchin states, “Your fraudulent behaviour in securing the interview and your misrepresentation of my interview are actionable offences.” He goes on to state the company’s failure to indicate the film was funded by Blankenship was a “gross misrepresentation of the true purpose of your film.” The explosion on April 5, 2010, killed 29 miners.