Rep. Thomas Massie Emerges as Leading Trump Antagonist Amid Political Retaliation and Campaign Ads
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Massie (R-Ky.), who has denounced the war as unauthorized and unconstitutional and become a leading Trump antagonist on other issues like the Jeffrey Epstein files and his plans to renovate the White House ballroom, has been hit with an avalanche of spending from MAGA-aligned and pro-Israel donors seeking his ouster on Tuesday in a Republican primary that has become the most expensive in the history of the US House of Representatives.
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ZeroHedgeEleven months after President Trump launched an all-out political war on Rep. Thomas Massie, the Tuesday, May 19 Kentucky GOP primary is almost here. With polls showing the race going down to the wire, the anti-Massie forces -- whose animus is largely driven by Massie's refusal to vote in accordance with the Israel lobby's wishes -- have been throwing everything they can at him, from vague 11th-hour allegations of inappropriate conduct with a woman, to AI ads showing Massie entering a hotel room with progressive congresswomen, to a new round of Trump social media rants and enough money to make the contest the most expensive House primary in US history. Massie's challenger is former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein.
Financial TimesTrump’s grip on Republicans tested in costly Kentucky primary Maverick congress member Thomas Massie battles president’s pick in bitter party contest
CNBCMassie's race is the most expensive House primary on record, according to AdImpact, as pro-Trump and pro-Israel groups have poured in money to oust the incumbent. More than $32.6 million has been spent on ads, including $7.9 million targeting Massie.
FortuneTrump gets revenge on Epstein rebel Thomas Massie in Kentucky GOP primary Massie, who has served in Congress since 2012, pushed for the release of the Epstein files, criticized the war in Iran and voted against the tax bill.
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This month alone Trump has successfully led the charge to oust a group of Indiana state Republicans who opposed his redistricting push, and helped end the reelection bid of Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment.
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Common DreamsIt may be another case of Trump using his bully pulpit to turn GOP voters against Republicans who dare defy him, with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) being the most recent casualty. The senator, who voted to convict Trump for his role in inciting the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection, was defeated in his primary over the weekend after Trump deemed him a "disloyal disaster" and endorsed a challenger.
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In one of the most eyebrow-raising ads on Massie's behalf, Restore Freedom PAC recently launched this one that attacks Gallrein over this sponsorship by billionaire Paul Singer, who has donated to LGBT causes, imploring voters to "say 'no' to Woke Eddie Gallrein and his billionaire club of LGBT weirdos."
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CNBCAn attack ad against Gallrein portrays the billionaire donor Paul Singer, who gave to the Trump-backed candidate and is Jewish, with a rainbow Star of David in the background. Singer has a son who is gay.
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Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 Common Dreams On stage at a campaign event for Gallrein on Monday, in what The New York Times described as a "highly unusual" display of partisanship from an active defense secretary, Hegseth fulminated against Massie for showing anything less than absolute fealty to the president.
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02 CNBC Primaries like the one on Tuesday in Kentucky are effectively a referendum on Trump's grip on the Republican Party.
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03 ZeroHedge UPDATE: AIPAC and the Israel lobby have now spent >$15 MILLION boosting Ed Gallrein and attacking Rep. Thomas Massie in #KY04. pic.twitter.com/Znmtc4GEXz
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