This week in politics: Manchin weighs presidential bid; Trump's third indictment looms

Joe Manchin is thinking about running for president.

The West Virginia Democrat stoked speculation about the possibility of an independent bid during a New Hampshire event this week, which once again has his party members pulling their hair. Though he hasn't committed to a run, he said he'll win if he gets in the race.

"I’ve never been in any race I’ve ever spoiled. I’ve been in races to win. If I get in the race, I’m gonna win," he said during a No Labels town hall Monday. "I haven’t made a decision."

So why did he campaign in the early primary state this week?

"We're here to make sure that the American people have an option, and the option is: Can you move the political parties off their respective sides?'" Manchin said. "They've gone too far right and too far left."

It's a move that has many Democrats raising alarms, arguing it could help Republicans — namely Donald Trump — retake the White House.

Speaking of the former president, he confirmed another possible indictment, this time for allegedly trying to steal the 2020 election.

If you're keeping count that will be third time Trump has been charged since announcing his presidential run. Yet he remains the unquestionable front-runner in the GOP primary as his rivals look to either reset or jumpstart their campaigns.

Two of those contenders joined USA TODAY at its Washington Bureau to discuss their visions for the country and how they plan to win the Republican nomination.

Also in Washington, two IRS agents testified about the yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden testified before Congress and had a lot to share.

Namely, the pair alleged U.S. Justice Department officials slow walked the investigation into President Joe Biden's youngest son and that Hunter was treated differently than other suspects with similar charges.

On a lighter note, the "Barbenheimer" debate hit the Senate as members in serious and silly ways shared their thoughts on the two very different Hollywood films which opened this weekend.

Manchin '24, but not where you think

Joe Manchin hasn't indicated if he will run for reelection next year in what will be a crucial Senate race for Democrats, but that didn't stop the Mountain State lawmaker from stirring the pot on being a White House hopeful in 2024.

Manchin, who has thwarted the more liberal elements of President Joe Biden's agenda, said it's too early to announce anything, but emphasized when it comes to the two party system: "We need options."

The comments were made at town hall even sponsored by No Labels, a bipartisan group that is looking at forming an independent ticket.

Who could be Manchin's running mate in this hypothetical?

Seems the likeliest person is Republican John Huntsman, a former Utah governor and presidential candidate, who joined Manchin at the event bemoaning Washington's gridlock around key issues.

"It's still the same-old-same-old," Huntsman said. "I mean if we ended up in 2024 with the same set of nominees that we did 2020 ... is that insanity? Is that the definition of insanity or what?"

Trump's indictment trilogy

Here we go again.

Donald Trump could face his third case in a year after saying Tuesday that he is the target of Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into potential election fraud.

He has already pleaded not guilty in two others cases, the New York one over alleged hush money payments to an adult film actress and claims in federal court that he mishanded classified documents after leaving the White House.

Many speculate, as before, this won't hurt Trump immediately in the polls, but he is trying to delay those trials until after the 2024 election even as he showcased a stiff upper lip during a Fox News town hall this week.

"I guess they want to try and demean and diminish and frighten people, but they don't frighten us because we're going to make America great again," he said.

Oh, remember, there's a fourth inquiry into election fraud claims in Georgia.

Christie, Ramaswamy sit down with USA TODAY

Republicans Chris Christie and Vevek Ramaswamy are taking very different approaches to winning their party's presidential nomination.

Christie, a former New Jersey governor, is taking a direct attack on Trump approach, and regularly calls into question the GOP front-runner's viability as a general election candidate into question.

Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur who is rising in the polls, is more complimentary of the former president and advertises himself as an outsider who will take the MAGA movement further.

"I'm running against him with a different vision of how I would lead this country," he said.

Either way, the two conservatives think that they're the best person to defeat President Biden and talked with USA TODAY editors and reporters about various topics from whether Republicans should seek a national abortion ban to eliminating the FBI.

IRS whistleblowers blast Hunter Biden investigation, plea

Internal Revenue Service agents Greg Shapley and Joseph Ziegler walked Congress through their view of investigating gun and tax evasion charges against President Joe Biden's youngest son, Hunter, and described a troubling trend.

"It appeared to me, based on what I experienced, that the U.S. attorney in Delaware in our investigation was constantly hamstrung, limited and marginalized by (Justice Department) officials as well as other U.S. attorneys," Ziegler said.

Shapley added how Hunter Biden was treated different from other suspects with similar charges, and that IRS agents were discouraged from asking President Biden when conducting interviews.

The Justice Department has denied both of their claims, but their testimony is bound to keep the fire burning among conservatives that the investigation and ultimate plea deal for Hunter Biden showed favoritism.

Barbie v. Oppenheimer

There's plenty of other things the Senate could be doing, such as addressing a growing mental health crisis that U.S. mayors flocking to Washington this week pleaded with Congress to help fix.

But the easier thing for them to do is oping on the “Barbie”, “Oppenheimer” divide as the two movies collide over this weekend.

If you don't know: one is about a beloved children's toy, and the other about man who helped create the atomic bomb.

Some senators are taking this seriously, such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who say it has propaganda that benefits the Chinese Communist Party. Others are being silly.

"Get you a Senator who can do both," Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the Democrat turned independent of Arizona, said in a tweet that sported two pictures underscoring the two film's themes.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's indictment trilogy; IRS agents slam Hunter Biden probe