I think it is safe to say that there is no love lost between Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Donald Trump.
Trump has already threatened to primary Massie, so the Kentucky Republicans has nothing to lose at this point.
With Trump trying to get the Epstein files out of the news cycle, Massie was trying to have them released in full.
Trump has attempted to get these filed out of the news cycle numerous times, with various strategies.
For instance, Trump recently stated the files were all fake, stating, "But you know, that was run by the Biden administration for four years. I can imagine what they put into files, just like they did with the others.
"I mean, the Steele dossier was a total fake, right? It took two years to figure that out for the people, and all of the things that you mentioned were fake."
Many of these files have been public record for some time, so when Trump made this claim, Dems and the media jumped on the idea that Trump must be hiding files that either contain his name or those of his allies.
Trump also tries to force a thought into the minds of his MAGA followers, saying that nobody cared about the files, but it was mostly MAGA that was outraged that there was no Epstein client list.
Trump had stated that nobody cared about this but Democrats, posting to Truth Social, “Let those weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work.
“Don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore.”
This was quickly becoming an issue for Trump, as MAGA was not buying, but it shockingly has not impacted his polling. My concern is that while it may not hurt Trump, it could hurt Republicans in the mid-term election cycle.
I have warned Trump before about making enemies within the party because of how it could hurt him, and Massie is a perfect example of that.
With Trump trying to beat Massie in the primary, Massie is now trying to hurt Trump with these files.
Massie recently teamed up with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), using a procedural move that will allow them to circumvent leadership and push a vote through to have the files released.
To block the move, Speaker Johnson (R-LA) sent the House on recess early, but my guess is that Massie and Khanna will revive this as soon as the House is back in session in September.
