By now the name Don Blankenship is practically a household word all across the U.S. following the death of 29 miners at a Massey Energy coal mine, but Blankenship — the company’s CEO — has been well known in West Virgina and throughout Appalachia for some time now. Perhaps equally well known is an apparent pal of his, former state Supreme Court judge Elliot Maynard. While on the bench, Maynard hooked up with Blankenship on an overseas vacation and voted to reverse a $50 million jury award against Massey. When the relationship came to light in 2008, it helped spike Maynard’s re-election.
Now Maynard is now vying to be the Republican nominee for Congress in a West Virginia district deep in coal country. Is he still thisclose to Blankenship? Zachary Roth over at Talking Points Memo has the story with a link to Maynard’s Facebook campaign page, which sports a March 26 press release. In it Maynard announces that he’s invited a celebrity to visit a coal mine in West Virginia. The money quote: “We would love to have Sarah showcase modern mining as a clean, safe and cheap way to produce energy.”