Trump and his allies take aim at Rep. Thomas Massie, in first effort to oust a GOP incumbent
The move to target Massie demonstrates Trump and his allies' willingness to unleash his well-funded political organization on members of their own party who buck the president's agenda.
The new group is called MAGA KY, according to a statement of organization filed with the Federal Election Commission. It shares a treasurer with Trump's main super PAC, MAGA Inc.
Axios first reported the super PAC's formation, which the outlet said would be overseen by two key Trump allies: Chris LaCivita, who served as co-manager of Trump's 2024 campaign, and pollster Tony Fabrizio.
Trump, LaCivita and James Blair, the president's deputy chief of staff for legislative affairs, all have criticized Massie on social media in recent days. Trump called the Kentucky Republican a 'negative force' and a 'simple minded 'grandstander'' on his Truth Social platform after Massie criticized Trump's strikes as 'unconstitutional.'
Massie was one of just two Republicans in the House to vote against the sweeping tax and spending bill that is the centerpiece of the president's domestic policy agenda. In recent days, he emerged as a vocal opponent of Trump's decision to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities without congressional authorization.
'I'm here to represent the base of the MAGA party that got Trump elected,' Massie told CNN's Manu Raju on 'Inside Politics Sunday.' 'Most of us were tired of wars in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, and we were promised that we would not be engaging in another one.'
The libertarian-leaning Republican recently joined Democrats in sponsoring a resolution to rein in the executive's power to go to war with Iran.
Massie noted that US actions in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s were 'at least' debated in Congress at the time with requests from then-President George W. Bush.
'It should have been declarations of war, but at least they did an Authorization of Use of Military Force,' Massie said. 'We haven't had that. This has been turned upside down.'
On Monday evening, however, Massie indicated to journalists that he would not continue to push for the resolution if the ceasefire between Israel and Iran announced earlier that day by Trump holds. He argued, however, that Trump still violated the Constitution. 'There was another way to do this where you could still get the credit, where you do it constitutionally,' he said.
Massie, who has represented his northern Kentucky seat since 2012, said he doesn't think Trump can knock him out by campaigning for a GOP primary opponent. Trump's 'endorsement's worth about 10 points, and I can sustain that,' Massie told Raju on Monday.
Massie has vocally opposed multiple initiatives of Trump's second term. The lawmaker previously called the White House's insistence that Trump's major policy bill would not raise the US deficit 'a joke' — a comment that drew the president's ire.
'I don't think Thomas Massie understands government. I think he's a grandstander, frankly. … I think he should be voted out of office,' Trump told reporters ahead of a May meeting with House Republicans.
Massie was also the sole GOP lawmaker who didn't vote for Mike Johnson as House speaker in January, despite a Trump intervention and encouragement from the president that Republicans needed to work as a team.
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