Oldham County, Kentucky — Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) had his speech abruptly cut short over the weekend when the Kentucky House speaker took his microphone during a Republican Lincoln Day Dinner, as the congressman criticized his Trump-backed primary challenger and defended his independence from party leadership.
Massie was addressing GOP attendees when he discussed challenger Ed Gallrein, who has the support of former President Donald Trump and several prominent Kentucky Republicans. During his remarks, Massie emphasized that he works for the voters of his district rather than for Trump or House Speaker Mike Johnson, moments before Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne stepped in and removed the microphone.
Following the incident, Massie said on social media that he was responding to attacks on his wife and raising concerns about Gallrein’s alleged misuse of COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loans. Massie accused Gallrein of taking out multiple PPP loans and failing to repay them, an allegation Gallrein did not respond to when contacted by the Washington Examiner.
Massie, who has represented Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District since 2012, is facing one of his most serious primary challenges ahead of the 2026 midterms. The contest has become a proxy fight over loyalty to Trump, particularly after Massie publicly broke with the administration on issues including federal spending legislation and the handling of the Epstein files.
Massie said some supporters walked out of the event in protest after his microphone was taken.
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