Those Epstein files must be bad.
#KY04— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) October 17, 2025 at 6:31 PM
There’s a niche, it appears, for ‘contrarian’ Repubs to publicly buck Don TACO. Massie, like MTG, has a *very* secure seat; pundits could dismiss MTG as ‘complaining because she’s been snubbed for the positions she wanted’, but if an MIT grad perceives a way to triangulate between Trump’s demands for fealty and his MAGAt constituents’ interest in the Epstein files, well…
From six weeks ago
— Dear Leader (@dearleader8647.bsky.social) October 16, 2025 at 9:22 PM
===
No kings, no princes!
Trump's tantrum appears to be directly connected with this push from Massie, shown by posts to Xitter an hour ago
— Rude Law Dog (@esghound.com) October 17, 2025 at 6:55 PM
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GOP Rep. Massie raised $768K from July through September — the best fundraising quarter of his career under threat of being ousted by a Trump-linked super PAC.
— Politico (@politico.com) October 15, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Per Politico:
Rep. Thomas Massie raised $768,000 from July through September — the best fundraising quarter of his career under threat of being ousted by a super PAC linked to President Donald Trump.
The Kentucky Republican’s campaign committee also reported more than $2 million cash on hand at the end of September, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday morning.
Massie has come under fire from the White House after contradicting Trump on several major issues, including voting against the domestic policy megabill central to enacting the administration’s legislative agenda and pushing for the full release of the Jeffrey Epstein files…
While Massie has beaten back primary challengers before, his substantial war chest at this time could help him next year if Trump and his inner circle take their attacks on the incumbent to the next level.
Massie is also counting on support from his own colleagues in fending off a potential competitor. Most of the campaign contributions in the latest fundraising quarter came from individual donors, but Massie also received $2,000 each from committees linked to Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). A leadership PAC connected to Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) gave Massie $5,000.
One of the few brights spots in House GOP
Rep Thomas Massie – congratulated his alma mater MIT
for standing up to the #TrumpRegime
& it is his Resolution along with MTG demanding they
#ReleaseTheEpsteinFiles
saying
“Trump Is Protecting His Pedophile Friends”
www.rawstory.com/massie-prais…— Sue in Rockville ???????????? (@sueinrockville.bsky.social) October 14, 2025 at 1:12 PM
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Trump: “Third Rate Congressman Thomas Massie, a Weak and Pathetic RINO…must be thrown out of office, ASAP!”
Rep. Massie is leading the push for a vote in the House to release the Epstein files.— Republicans Against Trumpism (@rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social) October 17, 2025 at 10:25 PM
War for Ukraine Day 1,331: Moscow on the Potomac
Ishiyama
Fiat justitia ruat caelum
Jackie
Epstein has made temporary cohorts from foes. FFOTUS and Johnson haven’t a chance to escape the fact that everyone wants the Files released. ALL except them.
John Revolta
Aannnnd Johnson is keeping the House shut down next week too!
Craig
According to Dear Leader the guy he’s recruiting against Massie is an Army Ranger Captain, and a Navy Seal. He’s in the Army and the Navy? Huh? It’s The Dumald so I can’t be bothered looking it up right now.
Jay
The Dogs were good again this week, the Dog of the Week, well, felling that anger towards those fuckers, well,
And We Rate Dogs has never been political,
youtube.com/watch?v=uhtLh6oGjTs
But they are now,
youtube.com/watch?v=OGpJqi_29Hk&t=79s
SpaceUnit
Trump has no friends. He’d throw his mother under the bus. He’s protecting himself.
TS
The British monarchy seems to have more accountability than the USA government/GOP – Prince Andrew must wish he was USA president rather than a prince of the realm.
After all those scandals, why did Andrew quit his titles now?
bbc.com/news/articles/c3ep8gd1qv3o
MagdaInBlack
The Guardian excerpts from Ms Guiffre’s memoir are pretty revolting, as one would expect.
Nothing a nice little war with Venezuela won’t fix, tho, I’m sure.
JCJ
@Jay: The We Rate Dogs guy did a great interview with Governor Walz after he was selected to be MVP’s running mate. They were with Scout in a dog park somewhere in the MSP area
Princess
This really screams of desperation on Trump’s part. Attacking Massie over Epstein like this makes it more evident to his own base that it’s Trump himself who doesn’t want those files released, or the names of perpetrators read into the record.
I would not count on the House being recalled ever.
Jackie
@John Revolta:
Nice to know he’s collecting a paycheck, while essential workers aren’t. Shutdowns need to include congress doesn’t get paid.
TS
@Princess:
This is all starting to resemble Germany in 1933 which led to Hitler being authorised to “govern by decree”
rikyrah
@John Revolta:
This is insane
MagdaInBlack
@Jay: I’m torn between # 6, the husky reunion, and # I forget, the basset nap time.
Aussie Sheila
@TS:
The British Monarchy’s continued existence depends on ‘popular consent’. Not in the way of re-electing a government of course, but in the way of ‘social licence’. Being a sexual predator and a member of the Monarch’s family is a very good way to lose it. A Duke is not worth losing the whole boiling. He should consider himself lucky. Lucky he’s not in prison.
TS
@Aussie Sheila:
Trump should also consider himself lucky to not be in prison but the judiciary & the current congress refuse to vote to put him there. Andrew may discredit the royals but he has zero political power whatsoever, with or without a title.
Aziz, light!
I think they have a good chance to run out the clock on the discharge petition so that it expires at the end of the current Congress on Jan. 3. Even with Grijalva’s eventual vote, there are many delaying tactics available to Johnson, although it will take the kitchen sink to make them go the distance. This would be profoundly undemocratic but not impossible. Or maybe they could get Marge or Bobo or Grace to renege.
Aussie Sheila
@TS:
All true of course. But my point wasn’t to discount US elite impunity. It was to emphasis the accountability however small in the scheme of things, that can be visited on someone who must be ‘discarded’ in order to keep a much larger elite project alive.
Craig
@Aziz, light!: so the plan is to keep the government shutdown till January? Cause if the government is funded then what crazy excuse is Pastor Mike going to use to have the House not doing The People’s Business. Keeping the govt shutdown through the holidays, just air travel wise, seems a huge lift. Even Normies Might Notice.
hitchhiker
@Aziz, light!: Running out the clock worked great for Mitch McConnell. They’ll definitely try.
Ten Bears
The enemies of my enemies are not my friends
All that is gold does not glitter … appears fair nor foul
I don’t have a lot of confidence ~ faith, I guess, if faith is doing the same thing over and over and over again expecting a different result ~ I don’t have a lot of confidence in people who only stop running long enough to ditch the uniform …
TS
wapo.st/4o4KL80 gift link
University of Virginia declines Trump deal for priority federal funding
Five of the nine universities have so far said they will not sign onto the deal.
Kirklin
At this point I think the contents of the epstein files contain multiple dead girl/live boy proofs.
Remember, the clock runs out November 3.
JoyceH
@Kirklin: well I am at least becoming more and more convinced that Trump is directly implicated in those files, because no way would he and the GOP be willing to take the amount of political damage they’re sustaining to cover up for a friend or donor.
sab
SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) are being suspended for November because of the shutdown. Dept of Ag has a fund to keep them going during a shutdown, but that rquires authorization from higher up, which hasn’t happened and probably won’t happen. The cruelty is the point.
It is going to be a bleak Thanksgiving for many this year. Remember your local food bank this year. They are desperate for donations.
Shalimar
@Craig: See Kirklin’s date above, November 3rd. Johnson only has to keep Grijalva from being seated until then. After that point he can use procedural moves to kill the discharge petition for the rest of the year.
Craig
@Shalimar: then the pressure point seems ‘Why is The Speaker giving The House a paid vacation while Essential Employees are working without any guarantees that they will be paid for that work?’
Baud
@Shalimar:
Good. Make it an election year issue.
Ramalama
How does the Duke of Hazard live if all he has is a house? Does his brother King also make sure there’s food in the fridge? Do former royals have to pay utilities?
Professor Bigfoot
@Ishiyama: AMEN.
Ohio Mom
@Ramalama: Oh, the Royals are all loaded. Andrew has more than enough money. Look at Harry, he’s not exactly begging at street corners, is he?
On Massie, I am again annoyed,as I am with Bolton and Comey, that I am forced to be on his side. I am trying to reframe it for myself as “our team grows larger,” but I continue to feel a pang of self-loathing.
Professor Bigfoot
True, but he also married money. Ms. Markle wasn’t poor, and she had a hit TV show.
And now look at the two of them— living their best lives.
Vive le Duc et la Duchesse!
AnonPhenom
@SpaceUnit:
Trump is immune to “embarrassment” or threats of prosecution. He, not without good reason, feels he can deal with those. He is loathe to release the information in the files because its His Leverage.
He admired guys like Epstein and David Pecker (and his ‘Safe’) because they could *Dominate* people (through blackmail), and his whole identity is built on dominating those around him.
If the files become public it represents a loss of power for Trump.
prostratedragon
Miami Herald (archive link):
They Call Me Noni
@Professor Bigfoot: He also inherited quite a sum from his mother.
bbleh
@John Revolta: @Jackie: and THAT, according to some analysis I saw somewhere (here?) likely means that the Epstein petition can NEVER make it through the House before the session ends, thanks to all the hoops it has to jump through and the thinness of the remaining calendar.
@Aziz, light!: ie, this.
And re Massie, the Orange Guy’s post makes clear to me he understands nothing about electoral politics in KY, and that fact can’t be lost on pretty much every Congress-critter. It certainly provides a handhold for some suck-up, but other than that … ???
Glidwrith
@JoyceH: Remember we have sworn testimony from a victim and witness that Shitgibbon raped her when she was twelve. She gave up when the death threats piled too high.
Paul in KY
@TS: I wonder if there will be a bill in Parliament to officially do this or did they decide that King Charles can resume it on his own?
I detect weasel wording that seems to indicate he just wouldn’t use the title in any wording, but he still might ‘technically’ be Duke of York
Edit: Just read the excerpt and it’s all unofficial. IMO, that sucks. They should do the legislative work so he really loses it.