There’s an old phrase, “defeated but unbowed,’’ that seems to fit the profile of Rep. Thomas Massie, who looks to be doing some of his most important work during the late stages of his House career.
Massie, R-SomewhereorotherLewisCounty, who is closing in on the final days of his 14-year House tenure, is a well-established crank, in fact he is indisputably the crankiest member in the 435-member chamber. He likes to vote no. A lot. And many cases his opposition has proved kind of dumb.
In May 2014, during his first term, Massie objected to holding a voice vote on a measure award golf legend Jack Nicklaus a gold medal in recognition of his “service to the nation.’’ He ultimately voted no in the roll call he demanded.
The list of legitimate resolutions Massie opposed on the floor would full a volume of Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past. He has been involved in efforts to oust two House Speakers of his own party and been involved in an effort to give the old heave-ho to current Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA.
Yeah, he’s kind of a nut.
But in many instances, that’s okay. Massie has openly violated the advice offered by the late and legendary House Speaker Sam Rayburn, TX,: “To get along, go along.’’ Massie has never sought to go along. He has ambled down the road less taken, questioning political orthodoxy and shaking up an antiquated institution that desperately needs shaking up. And for that he deserves credit.
But Massie’s tendency to oppose just about every proposal to hit the floor, whether it came from Democrats or his own Republicans, produced enmity not only from among his colleagues but, in a vital instance, President-cum-Dictator Donald J. Trump, who was particularly offended when Massie opposed his “One Big Beautiful’’ tax cut bill that larded trillions of dollars on the national debt.
An enraged Trump found his stooge, one Ed Gallrein, of Shelby County, to oppose Massie in this year’s GOP congressional primary. With pro-Trump and pro-Israel forces pouring about $25 million into what became the most expensive congressional primary fight in the nation’s history, Gallrein won by 10 points.
Whoever thought Massie would tuck his tail between his legs and go running home to Lewis County hadn’t been paying attention. As a lame duck, Massie has continued his efforts to unfold the mysteries behind the antics of Jeffrey Epstein, a financier with friends in high places – he once considered Trump his best buddy – who involved minors in a sex trafficking scheme. Massie has endeavored to force the release of more and more investigative material in the Epstein case, much to Trump’s apparent chagrin. The Justice Department has tended to slow walk the process and Massie is once again leading the movement to push it forward by filing a discharge petition that could force a vote to unseal what remains.
“What the Republicans really don’t want to do is go into this election with the Epstein Files covered up – (Attorney General) Todd Blanche is still covering them up – having every Democrat on this discharge petition and three Republicans,” Massie told Isaiah Kim-Martinez of WHAS-TV in Louisville.”And needing only one more Republican. What that means is every Republican who’s campaigning this fall is the holdout if we don’t get to 218. What I’m offering to my colleagues is to be the hero.”
Now, Massie has undertaken a new project certain to give Trump and GOP lawmakers fits. He has filed articles of impeachment against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, appointed to the position last year by Trump because, apparently, Yosemite Sam wasn’t available.
Breaking from his own party, which first broke from him, Massie is accusing Hegseth of defying Congress during the Iran war, suppressing free speech and other offenses. All legitimate. He maintains Hegseth violated the War Powers Act of 1973 in his conduct of the Iran war, maintaining the law provides a check on the president’s power to enter armed conflict without consent from the legislative branch, which was never obtained.
Among other items, Massie also cited Hegseth for military strikes on boats in the Caribbean suspected of carrying drugs, killing dozens of people. “In all of this, Secretary Hegseth has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as Secretary of Defense and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States of America,” Massie said Tuesday on the House floor.
Let’s state the obvious here: Pete Hegseth is a walking, talking embarrassment to this nation, a bloviating buffoon mincing around like Randy “Macho Man’’ Savage whose absolute incompetency is outweighed only by the danger he presents to the security of this country.
It is simply ridiculous that Pete Hegseth is this country’s Secretary of Defense, a position he stupidly refers to as Secretary of War, a title he apparently feels makes him an even greater manful, masculine, manly man. He has destroyed the military lives of devoted and dedicated officers simply because they don’t meet his standard for being both White and male.
If you want to determine just how bad, imbecilic and always wrong Hegseth is, read what you can about now retired Gen. Christopher T. Donahue, a four-star general considered a “once in a generation general’’ who was forced out by Hegseth. The New York Times had a great piece on the entire tragedy.
It should be noted that the Hegseth impeachment will likely go nowhere. Massie said he didn’t give the House GOP leadership of his plans because he was concerned they would quickly adjourn the House and head into a recess scheduled to last beyond the mid-term elections – a ploy they adopted when he initially sought the Epstein files.
But he did make it a privileged motion – meaning Johnson would have had to act on it by Thursday given the two-legislative-day requirement.
So, guess what? Speaker Johnson shut the doors early and recessed on Thursday before any vote could be taken. The impeachment resolution now won’t be considered until at least sometime in November – saving Republican House candidates from having to vote on whether or not to remove the ghastly unpopular Hegseth from office before ballots are cast.
Massie wasn’t surprised.
“Why are we canceling session when there’s so much important work to be done?’’ Massie asked on X. “It’s because they want to avoid voting on my Epstein legislation and the impeachment of Hegseth.’’
And he made sure that people know, with a term that runs out in about three months, he wants to stay and work.
“I’m here today to let you know that I’m a full participating member of the House of Representatives,” Massie said on the House floor Wednesday afternoon. “In fact, when other people want to go home, I’m here to work.
“I’m here to get justice for the Epstein victims, the survivors,” he continued. “I am here to get the price of food and fuel down for our constituents. We’ve got solutions, we just refuse to pass them.’’