'They're desperate': Thomas Massie accuses Israel of 'bullying' members of Congress

Two days before a GOP primary that could decide the political future of Rep. Thomas Massie, for good or for worse, the Kentucky Republican appeared confident of a victory. Speaking on ABC's 'This Week With George Stephanopoulos', on Sunday, Massie asserted that he remains ahead in polls, and claimed the result of the primary "will be a referendum on foreign policy." 

"The RJC, AIPAC, Miriam Adelson, and Paul Singer, they're all part of the Israeli lobby, and that's where all the money comes from," Massie said when asked about his previous statement, where he asserted that the GOP votes would be "a referendum on whether Israel gets to buy seats in Congress."

"It will be a referendum on foreign policy—whether Israel gets to dictate that by bullying members of Congress," Massie continued. "I'm the one they haven't been able to bully, so they're putting all the brunt, the force on me," he added.

Massie is facing a fierce challenge from Trump-endorsed candidate Ed Gallrein, a farmer and retired Navy SEAL, after months of public attacks from the President. Trump has repeatedly accused Massie of undermining his political agenda and recently amped up his criticism in a series of Truth Social posts, calling the congressman "the worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country," and asking voters to "vote the bum out on Tuesday."

Massie, meanwhile, said the President was losing sleep because he is ahead in the polls, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's joining the campaign fray is indicative of that panic. "You can tell that I'm ahead in the polls and they’re desperate," Massie said. "That's why they're sending the Secretary of War to my district tomorrow. That's why the President's losing sleep and tweeting about this. That's why AIPAC has dumped another $3 million into my race this weekend…It's because they're panicked and they really haven't been able to gain a lead in this race."

Massie later reinforced his message in a social media post, writing: "I refuse to be bullied by foreign lobbyists who want to dictate how we run our country. My election is a referendum on truth, transparency, & the sovereignty of our nation."

The Kentucky congressman has become one of the few senior Republicans willing to challenge President Trump on multiple fronts openly. He voted against Trump's signature tax-and-spending package, pushed for the release of files connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and demanded greater congressional oversight of U.S. military actions involving Iran and Venezuela.

Massie has also drawn support from a small bloc of anti-establishment Republicans, including Representative Lauren Boebert and Senator Rand Paul, both of whom campaigned alongside him in Kentucky last week.