Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie was criticized by his party's MAGA contingent after he shared a meme mocking the GOP for attacking Texas Democrats for fleeing the state to avoid voting on a new heavily-gerrymandered redistricting map.
Under the newly proposed map, Republicans would gain five additional seats after the 2026 midterm elections—making it significantly more difficult for Democrats to reclaim the majority and potentially blunt the president’s legislative priorities.
By leaving, the Democrats are denying Republicans a quorum—the minimum number of lawmakers required to conduct legislative business. Most members traveled to Democratic-led states like Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts. Governor Greg Abbott hinted at pursuing felony charges against Democrats, alleging that some individuals "may have violated bribery laws."
Massie weighed in, posting a tweet that likened “Democrats leaving Texas to protect their district” to “Republicans leaving D.C. to protect the Epstein files.” The accompanying image showed House Speaker Mike Johnson’s head superimposed onto a driver in a car meant to represent Republicans.
You can see Massie's post and the meme below.
@RepThomasMassie
Massie's post directly criticized his own party for calling an early summer recess last month to block Democrats from forcing Republicans to vote on the release of the Epstein files, said to contain detailed lists of some of the late financier, pedophile, and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's most high-profile clients and enablers.
President Donald Trump has tried to distance himself from his years-long friendship with Epstein as news outlets continue to uncover more details about their relationship, lashing out at reporters and anyone critical of Attorney General Pam Bondi, who declined to release the files despite acknowledging their existence and stoking conspiracy theories about them for months.
MAGA fans were not at all happy about this.
Others saw exactly what Massie was putting down.
Massie has angered his party in recent weeks.
In June, President Donald Trump said "MAGA doesn't want him" following Massie's criticism of Trump's unilateral decision to bomb Iran and the spending package presented in the "Big Beautiful Bill."
Massie had spoken out following Trump's decision to authorize a series of intense U.S. air and submarine strikes targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities, amid ongoing uncertainty about the status of Tehran’s nuclear program. He condemned the attack as "unconstitutional."
Trump lashed out afterward in a post on Truth Social calling Massie "a negative force." He also said Massie had been "disrespectful to our great military, and all that they stand for, not even acknowledging their brilliance and bravery," and called on Republicans to primary him.
