West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has announced that everything is just fine with The Greenbrier Hotel, which his family owns and is currently being auctioned off. But don’t worry, he’s totally going to fix it, just like he did back in 2009.
In a serious tone, Justice said, “Of course this is going to get fixed. Everything will be just fine.” He shared this optimistic message after being asked by a reporter why things aren’t exactly fine right now. Oddly enough, some reporters have been banned from asking these sorts of questions because the Governor really, really doesn’t want to talk about the financial mess.
Turns out, The Greenbrier is set to be auctioned off on the courthouse steps, like a scene straight out of a movie.
JPMorgan Chase sent a nasty note to the Justice family saying they hadn’t paid their bills, which is apparently a problem. The bank then sold the hotel’s financial troubles to a company called McCormick 101, who decided that a foreclosure sale was the next best step.
Justice said it’s all super unfair and even compared it to blackmail—because clearly, expecting someone to pay their debts is the same thing as demanding a ransom in a bad crime drama. Yes, you heard that right, the Governor thinks it’s “almost” blackmail to be asked to pay what he owes. Absurd? Maybe just a little.
But don’t worry, Justice is confident everything will be fixed. “Somehow, we’ll deal with it,” he reassured, though he didn’t offer many details on how.
Governor Justice, who used to be known as West Virginia’s only billionaire, is also running for the U.S. Senate. He’s convinced the auction of his family’s hotel has nothing to do with money and everything to do with politics.
“This is 100 percent about me running for Senate,” he declared, without giving any reasons why lenders would care about his political ambitions.
Justice’s businesses are apparently struggling a bit, with debts totaling at least $158 million, including $50 million owed to a bank that would like its money back ASAP. And yes, there are still some unpaid taxes on The Greenbrier, amounting to a few million dollars. But again, Justice is confident he’ll save the day, just like he did before.
When asked if he’s worried about bankruptcy, Justice said, “Let’s hope like crazy that doesn’t happen,” which is basically the most reassuring thing you can say when your hotel is about to be auctioned off.
Stay tuned to see if Justice can pull off another miracle—or if The Greenbrier will soon belong to the highest bidder.
