Apparently, Fox News is less than thrilled with Don Blankenship’s decision to run as a third party in the West Virginia Senate race given that it could doom the Republican chances to pick up the seat now held by Democrat Joe Manchin.

Blankenship, convicted of “conspiring to violate federal mine safety standards” after 29 miners died in an explosion at one of his mines, appeared on Fox earlier this week to promote his candidacy in the 2018 election.

Host Neil Cavuto signaled his displeasure early. “Why are you doing this?” he asked.

“Because I think I’d make a better senator” than Republican nominee Patrick Morrisey, Blankenship said. “I think I can win.”

Cavuto mentioned that Blankenship has “better odds” of taking away votes from Morrisey than from the Democratic incumbent. That is, if Blankenship is even allowed to run, given West Virginia’s “sore loser” law.

“The law’s not that clear,” Blankenship said. “So I guess we’ll find out.” He said he’s “confident that we will be on the ballot.”

He also claimed, “I’m probably less likely to be a felon than anyone, given I was investigated for 4½ years, and they couldn’t find anything.”

“So what are you if you served time in jail?” Cavuto shot back.

“Misdemeanor,” Blankenship answered.

“It’s a little bit bigger than a misdemeanor when 29 people are killed in a mining accident in 2010 for which you - your company, more to the point, was held accountable for violating safety standards,” Cavuto pressed.

Blankenship went on to make the bizarre claim, “The government blew up the coal mines, so it’s natural that the government wanted to cover up what really happened….”

“Did you violate safety standards at your company?” Cavuto asked.

No, he had not, Blankenship insisted. “I’ve never violated a safety standard myself,” he said. He went on to say that the Upper Big Branch mine, where the explosion occurred, “was pretty much average” because “it had less than one violation per inspector a day over 2½ years.” He claimed that was “20% less than the mine next door, and 20% more after I left.”

FACT CHECK: Federal regulators “had shut down portions of the mine for safety violations 48 times.”

Watch Blankenship’s chilly reception below, from the May 22, 2018 Your World.