Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee encouraged self-proclaimed centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to switch parties and not affiliate himself with Democrats that do not share his legislative values. Lee made the comments on Fox News on Sunday, saying that Manchin should switch parties and leave the Democrats, whose policies are causing inflation and a rise in violence in cities across the nation. “There’s still plenty of time. He can still switch parties if he wants to. I encourage him to do so. There’s no reason why he belongs with the ‘party of inflation,’ why he belongs with the ‘party of lawlessness,’ why he ought to remain with the party that’s harassing, intimidating, and belittling him at every turn, just so they can fundamentally remake the American economy and American society,” Lee said. “Absolutely, [he] should leave the Democratic Party and I look forward to embracing him when he joins our …