WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene decried the downfall of her onetime colleague Rep. Thomas Massie following his GOP primary defeat Tuesday night.
Greene (R-Ga.), who had allied with Massie (R-Ky.) to force the release of Justice Department files on late sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, argued that his defeat by President Trump-supported Ed Gallrein was a death knell to the party.
“I am proud and thankful to have served in the US House of Representatives with my friend Thomas Massie, a giant among weak pathetic men. Releasing the Epstein files was our demise,” she bemoaned on X.
“You are ruled by the Epstein class that cares nothing about you and your elected leaders are bought and controlled by a foreign lobby,” she added. “Tonight the future of the Republican Party was destroyed.”
“The Real America First Movement will rise led by the younger generations, who hate the old guard with an unquenchable passion. Let us pray that we have a country left by the time these creatures are gone.”
Greene, who resigned her seat earlier this year, had been one of Trump’s closest allies and foremost champions among House Republicans. But she began to publicly sour on him after he ordered the Operation Midnight Hammer airstrikes against Iran last year.
From there, she stepped up her critiques of the Trump administration and GOP leadership in general before throwing her weight behind the push to release the Epstein files.
That prompted Trump to call for Greene to face a primary challenge, which led to her resignation from the House instead.
Supporters of the president have insisted that Greene’s animosity is based less on principle than on Trump declining to back a potential Senate campaign, a claim Greene denies.
Massie, who had been in Congress since 2012, had long been a thorn in Trump’s side, having rankled him during his first administration by opposing a COVID-19 relief measure.
Over the past year and a half, Massie broke with the GOP on key votes for legislation such as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and bills to avoid or end government shutdowns.
This defiance led to Trump’s top 2024 campaign talent, including senior adviser Chris LaCivita, leading the MAGA KY super PAC with the explicit goal of defeating Massie.
