Massie faces backlash over Epstein demand, critics suggest he should 'seriously reconsider' Congress
Are they actually going to vote on something real?
President Donald Trump's top House GOP critic admitted in a recent interview that he once offered Republican leaders his vote in exchange for a public expression of gratitude for his role in forcing the disclosure of the federal government's Jeffrey Epstein files.
It's a move that has drawn backlash from at least one of his fellow House Republicans and others in the right-wing sphere.
"Anyone who uses the victims of Epstein’s horrific sexual abuse to advance a political agenda or chase public recognition should seriously reconsider their line of work," said Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis.
In an interview with Politico earlier this week, Massie said he had made the offer when the speaker had approached him for his support on a key vote.
LAWMAKERS ESCALATE EPSTEIN PROBE WITH POSSIBLE BILL GATES SUBPOENA
"One day, they needed my vote, and I offered to give them my vote if [Johnson] would issue a press release thanking me for my good work on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. That’s all I required to get my vote. And I think he probably went and gave somebody else a bill to pass instead of doing the public statement," Massie said.
He told Fox News Digital that it was a test of whether Johnson would take responsibility for opposing his effort to force the vote — but said Johnson refused.
"I wanted to see if the speaker would admit that it was a mistake to oppose the [bill], but even with all the new revelations about depraved and illegal activity of rich and powerful men, the speaker refused to acknowledge the success of the Epstein Files Transparency Act," Massie said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
But the move also caught blowback from others in the Republican social media sphere, which has erupted into a civil war of sorts between Massie and Trump's supporters.
"Coming soon to a campaign ad: Thomas Massie requires that he be praised publicly in order to secure his vote in Congress," right-wing influencer Ryan Saavedra wrote on X.
Sean Davis, who founded conservative outlet "The Federalist," wrote on social media, "Good grief. It really is all ego-driven."
Some defended him, however, like an X account tied to someone only identified as "Jeremy": "You really can't blame the guy who's constantly getting crapped on my conservatives for wanting the speaker of the house to say something positive about the Epstein files coming out and giving him the credit. It is childish on the surface, but this is also how their games work."
Massie last year led a handful of Republicans to join with Democrats to force consideration of the Epstein Files Transparency Act …
Are they actually going to vote on something real?
President Donald Trump's top House GOP critic admitted in a recent interview that he once offered Republican leaders his vote in exchange for a public expression of gratitude for his role in forcing the disclosure of the federal government's Jeffrey Epstein files.
It's a move that has drawn backlash from at least one of his fellow House Republicans and others in the right-wing sphere.
"Anyone who uses the victims of Epstein’s horrific sexual abuse to advance a political agenda or chase public recognition should seriously reconsider their line of work," said Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis.
In an interview with Politico earlier this week, Massie said he had made the offer when the speaker had approached him for his support on a key vote.
LAWMAKERS ESCALATE EPSTEIN PROBE WITH POSSIBLE BILL GATES SUBPOENA
"One day, they needed my vote, and I offered to give them my vote if [Johnson] would issue a press release thanking me for my good work on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. That’s all I required to get my vote. And I think he probably went and gave somebody else a bill to pass instead of doing the public statement," Massie said.
He told Fox News Digital that it was a test of whether Johnson would take responsibility for opposing his effort to force the vote — but said Johnson refused.
"I wanted to see if the speaker would admit that it was a mistake to oppose the [bill], but even with all the new revelations about depraved and illegal activity of rich and powerful men, the speaker refused to acknowledge the success of the Epstein Files Transparency Act," Massie said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
But the move also caught blowback from others in the Republican social media sphere, which has erupted into a civil war of sorts between Massie and Trump's supporters.
"Coming soon to a campaign ad: Thomas Massie requires that he be praised publicly in order to secure his vote in Congress," right-wing influencer Ryan Saavedra wrote on X.
Sean Davis, who founded conservative outlet "The Federalist," wrote on social media, "Good grief. It really is all ego-driven."
Some defended him, however, like an X account tied to someone only identified as "Jeremy": "You really can't blame the guy who's constantly getting crapped on my conservatives for wanting the speaker of the house to say something positive about the Epstein files coming out and giving him the credit. It is childish on the surface, but this is also how their games work."
Massie last year led a handful of Republicans to join with Democrats to force consideration of the Epstein Files Transparency Act …
Massie faces backlash over Epstein demand, critics suggest he should 'seriously reconsider' Congress
Are they actually going to vote on something real?
President Donald Trump's top House GOP critic admitted in a recent interview that he once offered Republican leaders his vote in exchange for a public expression of gratitude for his role in forcing the disclosure of the federal government's Jeffrey Epstein files.
It's a move that has drawn backlash from at least one of his fellow House Republicans and others in the right-wing sphere.
"Anyone who uses the victims of Epstein’s horrific sexual abuse to advance a political agenda or chase public recognition should seriously reconsider their line of work," said Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis.
In an interview with Politico earlier this week, Massie said he had made the offer when the speaker had approached him for his support on a key vote.
LAWMAKERS ESCALATE EPSTEIN PROBE WITH POSSIBLE BILL GATES SUBPOENA
"One day, they needed my vote, and I offered to give them my vote if [Johnson] would issue a press release thanking me for my good work on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. That’s all I required to get my vote. And I think he probably went and gave somebody else a bill to pass instead of doing the public statement," Massie said.
He told Fox News Digital that it was a test of whether Johnson would take responsibility for opposing his effort to force the vote — but said Johnson refused.
"I wanted to see if the speaker would admit that it was a mistake to oppose the [bill], but even with all the new revelations about depraved and illegal activity of rich and powerful men, the speaker refused to acknowledge the success of the Epstein Files Transparency Act," Massie said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
But the move also caught blowback from others in the Republican social media sphere, which has erupted into a civil war of sorts between Massie and Trump's supporters.
"Coming soon to a campaign ad: Thomas Massie requires that he be praised publicly in order to secure his vote in Congress," right-wing influencer Ryan Saavedra wrote on X.
Sean Davis, who founded conservative outlet "The Federalist," wrote on social media, "Good grief. It really is all ego-driven."
Some defended him, however, like an X account tied to someone only identified as "Jeremy": "You really can't blame the guy who's constantly getting crapped on my conservatives for wanting the speaker of the house to say something positive about the Epstein files coming out and giving him the credit. It is childish on the surface, but this is also how their games work."
Massie last year led a handful of Republicans to join with Democrats to force consideration of the Epstein Files Transparency Act …
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