Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Monday accused former President Trump of “ridiculous bullying tactics” for encouraging a primary challenge against a Florida Republican.
President Trump on Sunday targeted Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.), the only member of the Florida House caucus that endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) over Trump in the Republican presidential primary. . She ultimately endorsed Trump after DeSantis ended his campaign.
“Are there any great MAGA Republicans considering running against Laurel Lee in Florida’s 15th Congressional District? If so, come forward!” Trump tweeted on Truth Social late Sunday night. Posted on.
Massey also initially supported DeSantis, but fired back at Trump.
“This is unhelpful and unjust,” Massey said. I have written on X (formerly Twitter). “@RepLaurelLee is a conservative thoughtful member of the Judiciary Committee. She supported Mr. DeSantis for president, but after Mr. DeSantis withdrew from the race, she supported Mr. Trump.”
“More colleagues should call out these ridiculous bullying tactics,” he said.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who also initially supported Mr. DeSantis over Mr. Trump in the Republican presidential primary, wrote that he was a “co-sponsor,” indicating that he agreed with Mr. Massie’s opinion. .
The Hill has reached out to Lee’s office and campaign for a response.
Lee, who served as Florida’s secretary of state during the 2020 election, resisted calls for an audit after the election amid voter unrest over false claims that the election was rigged.
Mr. Lee repeated. I remembered Floridians claim that pre- and post-election audits have already been conducted as required by Florida law, that the election is “accurate” and that they have “confidence in the security and integrity of the 2020 election results.” did.
She continued to support DeSantis in April 2023, before he officially ran for president, and then went public with his support for Trump in January.
Massey’s attack on Trump is also not the first time a libertarian-leaning lawmaker has found himself at odds with the former president.
President Trump called for Massie to be expelled from the Republican Party because of his opposition to the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package that the then-president had urged Republicans to pass.
“Unfortunately, it appears that a third-rate grandstander named Rep. @RepThomasMassie from a truly great state, Kentucky, wants to vote against the new Worker Relief Act in Congress,” Trump said at the time. Tweeted.
“Take back Congress, but kick Massie out of the Republican Party!” Trump said in another tweet.
But Trump ultimately returned to supporting Massie’s 2022 re-election campaign, which was expected to be a landslide victory.
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