Trump's Personal Attack Sparks Political Firestorm
Former President Donald Trump has ignited a political controversy by launching an astonishingly personal attack on Republican congressman Thomas Massie's recent marriage, just as the Kentucky lawmaker intensifies his campaign to release documents related to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The extraordinary broadside came less than two weeks after Massie, 54, married Carolyn Grace Moffa, 36, in a Pennsylvania ceremony. The wedding took place approximately one year after Massie lost his previous wife, Rhonda, who was mother to their four children.
Trump's Marriage Comments and Massie's Response
In his social media post on Friday, Trump wrote: 'Did Thomas Massie, sometimes referred to as Rand Paul Jr., because of the fact that he always votes against the Republican Party, get married already??? Boy, that was quick!'
The former president, who has been married three times himself, added: 'No wonder the Polls have him at less than an 8% chance of winning the Election. Anyway, have a great life Thomas and (?). His wife will soon find out that she's stuck with a LOSER!'
When questioned about the attack during an appearance on ABC's This Week, Massie responded with remarkable composure. He revealed that his new bride had joked: 'I told you we should have invited Donald Trump. He's mad that he didn't get an invitation.'
'We're taking it with a grain of salt,' Massie continued. 'He's being a bully or trying to be a bully.'
Epstein Files Battle Intensifies
The marital attack coincides with Massie's determined push for the release of documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. The congressman has previously claimed that the Trump administration is resisting disclosure to protect the president's allies from embarrassment.
In a Friday interview with a Cincinnati radio station, Massie stated: 'They'll claim privately they're trying to avoid embarrassment for some of the president's friends. And they'll say that privately. They won't say that publicly.'
He added emphatically: 'But I don't think embarrassment is a good reason, like saving somebody from embarrassment is a good reason to protect dozens of men who preyed on underage women in a sex trafficking operation.'
Massie also dismissed Trump's endorsement of his apparent challenger in the 2026 midterm elections, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. The congressman pointed out that three billionaires with alleged Epstein connections are funding Gallrein's campaign.
Using one of Trump's favourite phrases against him, Massie declared: 'Dogs don't bark at parked cars. And we are winning. I am not tired of winning yet.'
He was referring to the 23,000 damning documents released by the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, which he described as a significant victory in his transparency campaign.
Republican Rifts Widen
The controversy extends beyond Massie, with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene also criticising Trump over the Epstein files release. In a wide-ranging interview with CNN's State of the Union, Greene expressed her commitment to transparency, stating: 'I stand with these women. I stand with rape victims, I stand with children who are in terrible sex abuse situations, and I stand with survivors of trafficking.'
Greene maintained that nothing in the Epstein files would damage Trump, based on conversations with female victims she has platformed. However, she emphasised that 'rich and powerful people' should not be protected if they have committed wrongdoing.
The Georgia congresswoman also criticised Trump for welcoming Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to the White House, describing it as 'very hurtful to the great men and women who served over in the Middle East.'
Massie delivered a stark warning to his Republican colleagues about the long-term consequences of their voting decisions: 'The record of this vote will last longer than Trump's presidency.' He advised them that while Trump could offer protection in red districts now, by 2030 he would no longer be president, and they would have to answer for protecting paedophiles if they blocked the files' release.
This escalating conflict represents one of the most significant internal Republican Party battles in recent months, pitting Trump against two of his former allies over transparency regarding one of the most sensitive criminal cases involving powerful figures.
