Just heard it again https://democracynowdc.org/ is putting it out. I just don’t remember hearing the attribution before.
Checking out the site, I see there is a piece about changing Manchin’s mind to vote FOR statehood. Could be why it’s getting the heavy play here. He may be a key vote.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/553035-joe-manchin-is-wrong-dc-statehood-is-constitutional/
The link below shows how far left sites like the hill pretend to be conservative but when the going gets tough they head left:
Over its history, the United States has admitted 37 new states into the Union, beginning with Vermont in 1791. But many are now arguing that admitting a 38th — the current District of Columbia — is unconstitutional. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is the latest to buy into this claim, citing a Reagan-era Justice Department report claiming that D.C. statehood violates the Founders’ intent.
The report is wrong. Constitutional history and interpretation both demonstrate that Congress has clear authority to admit new states — including, if it wants to, D.C.