Rep. Thomas Massie‘s(R-KY) speech over the weekend at a GOP dinner in his district was cut off by the Kentucky House speaker.
In the minutes before Massie’s microphone was taken, the congressman was discussing his Trump-backed opponent, Ed Gallrein. Massie was saying he works for the people of his district, rather than Trump or House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), when Republican Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne snatched his microphone.
“They can steal the microphone but I will never be silenced. I was defending my wife, calling out my opponent’s COVID PPP fraud, and explaining that Congressmen work for the People, not the Speaker or the President!” Massie wrote on X in response to the incident.
The fiscal hawk has represented Kentucky’s 4th District in the northern part of the state since 2012, dominating any general election and primary challenges he has had since taking office. But in the 2026 midterm elections, Massie is facing a significant primary challenge from Gallrein, who has the support of Trump and many of his backers in the Bluegrass state. The challenge came after Massie sparred with the president on matters like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the Epstein files throughout the first year of the second Trump administration.
During his speech before Kentucky Republicans’ annual Lincoln Day Dinner in Oldham County, Massie addressed the comments Trump made about his wife, Carolyn Moffa, which were reposted by Gallrein last week. Massie also accused Gallrein of participating in COVID-19-related fraud schemes, saying he took two COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loans and “never paid back that loan, and he took it for baling hay.”
“If you want to rubber-stamp, you can vote for my opponent. If you want somebody who makes up their own mind and does things for you — the chain of command does not go to the Commander-in-Chief — when you are a congressman, you work not for the Speaker of the House,” Massie said just before Osborne snatched his microphone.
“I work for you. Thank you and God bless,” Massie continued, yelling to the room with no microphone.
Gallrein did not respond to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment.
Though there were several boos during Massie’s speech, he told the Courier-Journal that several of his supporters left the event in protest after his microphone was taken. Massie said he joined the folks who walked out for drinks elsewhere.
“People are saying I stormed off after my speech. They had us seated so far in the corner, it looks like I’m storming out of the place,” Massie said. “I walked over and sat down for a while until I noticed other people leaving, and I thought, ‘Well, if they’re going to leave, I’m going to go outside and thank them.’ And then we ended up going for drinks.”
MASSIE OPPOSITION BECOMES TRUMP LITMUS TEST IN KENTUCKY SENATE RACE
Massie’s primary race with Gallrein has taken center stage across Kentucky, as the candidates in the state’s GOP Senate primary have also taken sides in the House race. Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) and businessman Nate Morris recently endorsed Gallrein, as they each seek the backing of Trump supporters across the state.
Barr posted on X with Gallrein after the event in Massie’s current district, writing, “Great to see @EdGallrein, the future Congressman of #KY04 at the @OldhamCountyGOP Lincoln Day Dinner tonight. This is Ed’s home county, he dedicated his career to serving our country in the Navy. Ed will help President Trump and I fight for the MAGA agenda that Kentucky voted for.”