Trump's team launches new group to unseat GOP Rep. Thomas Massie

Two cardinal advisers to President Donald Trump are launching a caller radical to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican with a signifier of opposing Trump who astir precocious lambasted his determination Saturday to strike 3 Iranian atomic facilities.

Chris LaCivita, a elder governmental advisor to Trump, confirmed to NBC News connected Sunday that helium and Tony Fabrizio, different Trump adviser, volition tally the anti-Massie ace PAC.

The quality of the enactment of the ace PAC was first reported by Axios.

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Trump and Massie, a libertarian who has represented Kentucky's 4th Congressional District since 2012, person agelong been astatine odds, with Trump saying helium wanted the congressman thrown retired of the GOP successful 2020. Still, Massie has retained his seat, winning aggregate superior challenges and adjacent winning Trump’s endorsement successful 2022.

But Massie has continued to beryllium a thorn successful Trump's broadside during his 2nd term. In summation to opposing Trump's strikes against Iran, helium has consistently voted against his "big, beauteous bill" passim the process.

Massie besides partnered with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., past week to present a warfare powers solution meant to “prohibit engagement successful Iran.”

“The Constitution does not licence the enforcement subdivision to unilaterally perpetrate an enactment of warfare against a sovereign federation that hasn’t attacked the United States,” said Massie of the solution successful a connection astatine the time.

Following the strikes successful Iran Saturday, Massie dug into Trump’s decision, writing connected societal media, “This is not Constitutional.”

Trump took to Truth Social connected Sunday to telephone Massie “not MAGA” and a “simple minded ‘grandstander.’”

“Massie is weak, ineffective, and votes 'NO' connected virtually everything enactment earlier him (Rand Paul, Jr.), nary substance however bully thing whitethorn be,” Trump wrote.

“The bully quality is that we volition person a fantastic American Patriot moving against him successful the Republican Primary, and I’ll beryllium retired successful Kentucky campaigning truly hard. MAGA is not astir lazy, grandstanding, nonproductive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is decidedly one,” Trump added.

So far, lone 1 Republican — Niki Lee Ethington — has filed to tally successful the superior for Kentucky’s 4th District. According to her run website, Ethington is simply a registered caregiver who graduated successful 2021 and has not held nationalist bureau previously.

Massie responded to Trump’s societal media attacks by posting a fundraising entreaty and a screenshot of Trump’s societal media post, on with a photograph of a TV quality Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” During that appearance, the congressman advocated for not getting progressive successful a warfare successful Iran.

On Sunday afternoon, Massie besides blasted Trump for the president's post connected Truth Social earlier successful the time which asked, “why wouldn’t determination beryllium authorities change” successful Iran and calling to “MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN.”

Massie wrote, “This is not America First folks.”

Trump has taken retired Republicans successful primaries earlier — astir memorably successful the 2022 predetermination cycle, erstwhile his governmental cognition targeted GOP lawmakers who had voted to impeach him pursuing the Jan. 6 battle connected the Capitol. Eight of the 10 mislaid their primaries oregon chose not to basal for re-election.