Washington
CNN
—
A super PAC aligned with President Donald Trump has launched an attack ad targeting Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie after his series of high-profile breaks with the administration, including opposition to a landmark policy bill and criticism of strikes against Iran.
“What happened to Thomas Massie,” the ad begins, ticking through a list of conservative policy priorities that it says Massie voted against, a broad reference to Massie’s opposition to the sprawling Republican policy bill making its way through Congress. Massie cited concerns over spending levels and deficits in his vote against the “big, beautiful bill,” as it’s been dubbed by Republicans.
The ad also hammers Massie explicitly over his opposition to the administration’s decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend, encouraging voters to “fire Thomas Massie.”
The ad presents a high-profile example of Trump leveraging his powerful political network against recalcitrant members of his own party as he wrestles with dynamic foreign policy challenges and works to steer his domestic agenda through Capitol Hill.
It comes from a group, MAGA Kentucky, created by Trump allies specifically to target Massie, with plans to spend $1 million on the ad campaign, targeting TV and digital platforms, according to Axios, which first reported on the group. Data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact shows that MAGA KY has already reserved about $100,000 worth of airtime in July.
MAGA KY shares a treasurer with Trump’s main super PAC, MAGA Inc., according to its limited disclosures so far with the Federal Election Commission and is overseen by key Trump allies – connecting it to a network of political committees and joint fundraising agreements steering tens of millions of dollars in campaign cash ultimately aligned with the president.
And while Trump is constitutionally ineligible to run for office again, that immense war chest has given him ample resources, along with his durable political capital, to direct against members – including Massie – who break ranks to oppose his agenda, cementing the president’s grip on the party.
Last month, Trump fumed against the Kentucky Republican amid his steadfast opposition to the president’s signature policy bill.
“I don’t think Thomas Massie understands government. I think he’s a grandstander, frankly. He’ll probably vote- We don’t even talk to him much. I think he should be voted out of office,” Trump said.
Massie, however, has cultivated a defiant independence during his time in Congress and has dismissed the threats from Trump and his allies.
“If they would just quit hitting me I might get bored and give up,” Massie told reporters on Capitol Hill earlier this week. “But I’m not going to lose. I do not lose.”
