MASSIEFLIX

Meet the Press: Massie's 'Biggest Crime' Was Bipartisanship

May 24, 2026 · 13:30 2026-primaryepsteintrumpiranmeet-the-press

Days after losing KY-4, Massie tells Meet the Press his biggest crime was bipartisan work with Ro Khanna on the Epstein files — 'they couldn't buy my vote, so they bought this seat' — and won't rule out 2028.

Original by NBC News on YouTube ↗ · Is this yours? Claim credit →

Chapters

  1. 0:00 Iran deal and war powers
  2. 1:20 Why he lost
  3. 2:07 Biggest crime: bipartisanship
  4. 2:52 Was it worth it?
  5. 3:40 Trump Disappointment Syndrome
  6. 5:00 AIPAC money and AI ads
  7. 7:00 Hope in young voters
  8. 8:00 Breaking with Trump?
  9. 9:00 Anti-weaponization fund
  10. 11:00 Epstein files still buried
  11. 12:00 2028? Act locally

Transcript

Download captions

Click any timestamp to jump to that moment.

114 lines
  1. WE KNOCKED HIM OUT. WE KNOCKED OUT EVERYBODY. >> AND JOINING ME NOW IS REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN THOMAS
  2. SIE OF KENTUCKY. CONGRESSMAN MASSIE, WELCOME BACK TO "MEET THE PRESS." >> THANKS, KRISTEN. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
  3. I DO WANT TO GET TO YOUR RACE IN JUST A MOMENT, BUT I HAVE TO START WITH THAT DEVELOPING NEWS ON IRAN.
  4. PRESIDENT TRUMP POSTING ON SATURDAY THAT AN AGREEMENT WITH IRAN HAS, QUOTE, LARGELY BEEN EGOTIATED.
  5. IT'S UNCLEAR WHAT EXACTLY HAS BEEN AGREED TO, WHETHER ANY DEAL WOULD DIRECTLY ADDRESS THE ISSUE
  6. OF THE NUCLEAR PROGRAM, WHICH, OF COURSE, IS AT THE CENTER OF THE WAR WITH IRAN. SO FAR NO FINAL DEAL HAS BEEN
  7. ANNOUNCED, BUT, CONGRESSMAN, WOULD YOU SUPPORT A SHORT-TERM DEAL WITH IRAN?
  8. >> WELL, I WAS THE AUTHOR OF THE FIRST WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO GET US OUT OF IRAN.
  9. MY CONSTITUENTS ARE HURTING, GAS IS ALMOST $5 A GALLON, DIESEL IS ALMOST $6 A GALLON AND THE FARMERS HERE IN KENTUCKY CAN'T
  10. AFFORD THE FERTILIZER TO PUT ON THEIR FIELDS. HECK YES, I WOULD SUPPORT IT. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE TERMS OF IT ARE, BUT IF LINDSEY GRAHAM
  11. AND TED CRUZ ARE CRASHING OUT LAST NIGHT I'D SAY IT'S PROBABLY A PRETTY GOOD DEAL. >> ALL RIGHT. WELL, LET'S TURN TO THE BIG
  12. NEWS, THE REASON WHY YOU ARE HERE. YOU DID LOSE YOUR BID FOR EELECTION THIS PAST TUESDAY
  13. AFTER SERVING SEVEN TERMS IN CONGRESS. WHY DO YOU THINK YOU LOST THIS RACE, CONGRESSMAN?
  14. >> WELL, LISTEN, SINCE THE DAY I GOT TO WASHINGTON, D.C. I'VE BEEN DOING THIS JOB LIKE I THOUGHT PEOPLE WANTED YOU TO DO IT.
  15. I READ THE BILLS, I DIDN'T GIVE ME VOTING CARD TO THE SPEAKER, I HAVE NEVER GIVEN IT TO A PRESIDENT. I DON'T EVEN GIVE ME VOTING CARD
  16. TO THE FREEDOM CAUCUS. I VOTE FOR PEOPLE OVER PARTY, AND, YOU KNOW, THAT MEANS 10% OF THE TIME I VOTE AGAINST THE PARTY.
  17. I'VE EXPOSED A LOT OF THINGS IN WASHINGTON, D.C., THE CRONYISM. I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW -- AND
  18. ALSO BANKRUPTING OUR COUNTRY, WHETHER IT'S REPUBLICANS OR DEMOCRATS. I POINT OUT HOW THEY'RE BANKRUPTING OUR COUNTRY AND HOW
  19. THESE ARE ALL FAKE FIGHTS. THEY LOVE TO DIVIDE US. I THINK THE BIGGEST CRIME I COMMITTED AGAINST THE SWAMP,
  20. KRISTEN, WAS SHOWING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT SOMEBODY ON THE RIGHT COULD JOIN SOMEBODY ON THE LEFT AND GET SOMETHING DONE,
  21. WHICH IS RELEASING THE EPSTEIN FILES THAT EVERYBODY KNEW NEEDED TO BE DONE. THAT'S PROBABLY THE ONLY BILL
  22. THAT'S PASSED WASHINGTON, D.C. IN THE LAST TEN YEARS THAT LOBBYISTS HAVEN'T WRITTEN. IT WAS WRITTEN BY ME AND RO KHANNA AND WE USED THE PRESSURE
  23. OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO CROSS THE AISLE AND GET THINGS DONE. THAT'S WHEN THEY DECIDED I HAD TO BE TAKEN OUT.
  24. THAT I WAS BECOMING EFFECTIVE. SO THEY WANTED TO ELIMINATE ME. AND, BY THE WAY, THEY COULDN'T BUY MY VOTE IN 14 YEARS SO THEY
  25. BOUGHT THIS SEAT. THIS WAS THE MOST EXPENSIVE RACE IN CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARY HISTORY AND AT THE END OF THIS RACE WE
  26. RE SPENDING MORE PER DAY, MY SIDE AND THE OPPOSING SIDE, WE RE SPENDING MORE PER DAY THAN MOST ENTIRE CONGRESSIONAL RACES
  27. ARE SPENT FOR THE ENTIRE CYCLE. >> WOW. IT'S JUST EXTRAORDINARY TO PUT
  28. IT INTO THAT CONTEXT. YOU REFERENCE THE EPSTEIN FILES,
  29. THE FACT THAT YOU AND CONGRESSMAN KHANNA WHO I WILL BE SPEAKING WITH NEXT PUSHED TO
  30. HAVE THOSE FILES RELEASED. YOU ALSO VOTED AGAINST THE SO-CALLED BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, YOU WERE OPPOSED TO THE IRAN WAR AS YOU JUST STATED.
  31. CONGRESSMAN MASSIE, WAS IT ALL WORTH IT? >> IT WAS ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT FOR ME. NOW, I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO
  32. BE WORTH IT FOR THE PARTY. LOOK, THE LEFT -- SOME PEOPLE ON THE LEFT HAVE TRUMP DERANGEMENT
  33. SYNDROME, THEY CALL IT TDS, BUT HERE'S A GROWING NUMBER ON THE RIGHT WHO HAVE A FORM OF TDS
  34. CALLED TRUMP DISAPPOINTMENT SYNDROME. I THINK WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE PARTY THIS FALL IS
  35. THEY'VE DISENFRANCHISED A LARGE PORTION OF THAT CONSTITUENCY THAT TRUMP ASSEMBLED TO GET US
  36. IN THE WHITE HOUSE, THE SENATE MAJORITY AND HOUSE MAJORITY. THEY'VE ALIENATED BY KOWTOWING TO THE PESTICIDE AND
  37. PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURERS. THEY'VE ALIENATED THE FISCAL
  38. HAWKS BY RUNNING DOGE OUT OF TOWN. SO I'M WORRIED THAT IN NOVEMBER THIS IS GOING TO COST THE PARTY A LOT. BUT FOR ME IT WAS COMPLETELY
  39. WORTH IT AND I'VE GOT SEVEN MORE MONTHS TO KEEP GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN, WHICH MEANS VOTING FOR PRINCIPLES AND FOR PEOPLE OVER PARTY.
  40. >> LET ME ASK YOU BIG PICTURE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE SAID THAT YOU VOTE WITH REPUBLICANS MORE THAN 90% OF THE TIME, YOU SPLIT WHEN
  41. YOU THINK IT BETTER SERVES YOUR CONSTITUENTS. ONE OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS TOLD A LOCAL REPORTER THIS, QUOTE, I JUST GOT TO THE POINT WHERE I
  42. COULDN'T SUPPORT HIM ANYMORE. I SAW MASSIE AS ALMOST WHAT THEY WOULD POPULARLY CALL A RINO,
  43. REPUBLICAN IN NAME ONLY. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT VOTER AND OTHERS OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS
  44. WHO MIGHT AGREE WITH HIM? >> WELL, THEY SPENT AT LEAST $20 MILLION, MAYBE $25 MILLION
  45. AGAINST ME AND WHAT THEY DID IS THEY EXPANDED THE POOL OF VOTERS. THERE WERE A LOT OF MISINFORMED, UNINFORMED VOTERS.
  46. IN FACT, MY DAUGHTER, WHO LIVES OUTSIDE OF MY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, SHE HEARD SOMEBODY IN THE VOTING BOOTH NEXT TO HER TRYING TO FIND MY OPPONENT'S
  47. NAME ON THE BALLOT BECAUSE HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I WASN'T HIS CONGRESSMAN. THAT'S HOW MUCH THEY BAMBOOZLED
  48. THE PEOPLE HERE IN KENTUCKY. THEY USED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE A VIDEO, LIFE-LIKE VIDEO, THAT SHOWED ME
  49. CHECKING INTO A HOTEL ROOM WITH AOC AND ILHAN OMAR AND HOLDING HANDS WITH THEM. IT WAS ACTUALLY VERY EFFECTIVE ON THE BOOMERS.
  50. BUT HERE IS THE THING, KRISTEN, THAT'S ONLY GOING TO WORK FOR A LITTLE BIT LONGER. THE BOOMERS ARE GOING TO, YOU
  51. KNOW, LEAVE THIS COUNTRY TO THE GEN X AND GEN Z AND GEN Y AND THE MILLENNIALS AND THOSE FOLKS ARE THE ONES THAT I WANT
  52. OVERWHELMINGLY. THAT MAKES ME HOPEFUL FOR THIS COUNTRY. THEY DON'T GET FOOLED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THEY CHECK THE NEWS. THEY GET NEWS SOURCES LIKE FROM
  53. PODCASTS AND OTHER SOURCES. SO THEY WON THIS RACE BY FOOLING MY VOTERS AND EXPANDING THE BASE OF PEOPLE WHO VOTE TO THE
  54. UNINFORMED VOTERS, BUT, LOOK, I'VE GOT 45% OF THE VOTE IN SPITE OF THIS TREMENDOUS HEADWIND.
  55. THAT MEANS 45% OF THE PARTY STILL BELIEVE IN THE IDEALS THAT I BELIEVE IN AND HAVE ESPOUSED IN WASHINGTON, D.C. >> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT
  56. SOMETHING THAT YOU SAID IN YOUR SPEECH ON TUESDAY NIGHT. YOU SAID, QUOTE, IF THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH ALWAYS VOTES
  57. WITH THE PRESIDENT, WE DO HAVE A KING. DO YOU BELIEVE THERE IS STILL
  58. ROOM IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY FOR EPUBLICANS WHO VOTE INDEPENDENTLY?
  59. >> DO YOU KNOW WHAT, EVEN THE FREEDOM CAUCUS HAS CAVED AT THIS POINT. THEY USED TO -- BASICALLY THE FREEDOM CAUCUS WAS FORMED SO
  60. THAT 30 OR 40 REPUBLICANS WOULD HAVE SAFETY IN NUMBERS. THEY HAVE NO SAFETY IN NUMBERS NOW.
  61. THE PRINCIPAL ONES ARE RUNNING FOR STATEWIDE OFFICE, THEY'RE GETTING OUT OF CONGRESS. I THINK THERE IS ROOM, THOUGH, YOU'VE JUST GOT TO GO UP THERE
  62. AND VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE. I HAVE INSPIRED A WHOLE GENERATION OF STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND CITY
  63. COUNCILMEN WHO ARE RUNNING FOR OFFICE. THEY SEND ME DIRECT MESSAGES, SEND ME EMAILS, THEY'VE BEEN INSPIRED. I DO BELIEVE THERE'S ROOM IN THE
  64. PARTY, MAYBE NOT IN WASHINGTON RIGHT NOW, BUT THE NEXT WAVE THAT'S COMING UP, THEY'RE GOING TO VOTE FOR PEOPLE OVER PARTIES. >> WELL, I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT
  65. SOME OF THE ISSUES NOW, CONGRESSMAN. AS YOU KNOW, THIS WEEK WE DID SEE REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS ACTUALLY REJECT SOME OF
  66. PRESIDENT TRUMP'S PRIORITIES, REFUSING TO VOTE ON FUNDING FOR BOTH HIS BALLROOM AND THAT $1.8 BILLION SO-CALLED
  67. ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND. SOME OF THE STRONGEST OPPOSITION, QUITE FRANKLY, THAT WE HAVE SEEN FROM MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, REPUBLICANS, TO
  68. PRESIDENT TRUMP TO DATE. DO YOU THINK THAT THE PARTY IS BEGINNING TO BREAK WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP?
  69. >> WELL, LISTEN, THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR OWN POLITICAL MORTALITY. IT'S TRUE YOU CAN TAKE OUT REPUBLICANS IN PRIMARIES, BUT
  70. REPUBLICANS ARE GOING TO BE VERY VULNERABLE THIS FALL. THE BALLROOM, I MEAN, THAT IS
  71. UCH AN EGREGIOUS WASTE OF MONEY. WE WERE TOLD IT WOULD BE FUNDED WITH PRIVATE MONEY INITIALLY.
  72. I LIKE TO JOKE THAT MIRIAM AIDEL SON SPENT SO MUCH MONEY IN MY RACE THEY HAVE TO ASK FOR
  73. TAXPAYER MONEY FOR THE BALLROOM NOW. I THINK IT'S A SLAP IN THE FACE OF AMERICANS. THE PRESIDENT WAS BRAGGING ON
  74. THE ROMAN ARCHITECTURE WHEN, IN FACT, WE'RE OPERATING LIKE A ROMAN EMPIRE. WE'RE OVEREXTENDED OVERSEAS WITH
  75. OUR FOREIGN AID, WITH OUR FOREIGN BASES. WE'RE SPENDING MONEY THAT WE DON'T HAVE. THE GASOLINE AND RENT AND GROCERIES ARE SO HIGH THAT
  76. PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD IT. I DO THINK IT'S DANGEROUS TO INDULGE IN THESE THINGS LIKE A
  77. GOLD-PLATED BALLROOM IN WASHINGTON, D.C. WHILE AMERICANS ARE SUFFERING. >> LET ME ASK YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE DEEPLY ABOUT THE
  78. ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND. THE PRESIDENT IS ASKING FOR $1.8 BILLION TO SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO HE SAYS HAVE BEEN UNFAIRLY TREATED
  79. UNDER THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION. THIS WOULD INCLUDE JANUARY 6th RIOTERS. CONGRESSMAN, DO YOU SUPPORT
  80. AXPAYER DOLLARS GOING TO THOSE WHO ATTACKED POLICE AT THE CAPITOL AND ATTACKED THE CAPITOL ON JANUARY 6th?
  81. >> WELL, IF YOU ARE GOING TO CREATE A FUND IT HAS TO BE VOTED ON BY CONGRESS. THE PRESIDENT CAN'T DO THIS BY
  82. EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY. OUR FOUNDERS WOULD SAY NO, YOU CAN'T DO THAT. LISTEN, THOUGH, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
  83. HARMED ON THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT. THEIR FIRST AMENDMENT, SECOND AMENDMENT, FOURTH AMENDMENT, FIFTH AMENDMENT RIGHTS HAVE BEEN
  84. VIOLATED AND I DO THINK THAT HEY SHOULD HAVE SOME RECOURSE. >> BUT WOULD YOU ALLOW GIVING MONEY -- WOULD YOU ALLOW GIVING
  85. MONEY TO THOSE WHO ATTACKED ON ASSAULTED POLICE OFFICERS? >> THE SOLUTION ISN'T TO HAND OUT MONEY.
  86. THE SOLUTION IS TO CHANGE THE LAWS OF THIS COUNTRY WHERE IF YOU HAVE BEEN HARMED THAT YOU GO BEFORE A COURT AND YOU HEAR BOTH
  87. SIDES OF THIS. YOU CAN ADJUDICATE THOSE THINGS ABOUT WHETHER THE PERSON DESERVES THE MONEY OR NOT, BUT HAT'S WHAT'S SO HARD IS IT'S SO
  88. HARD TO GO AGAINST THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WHETHER YOU ARE ON THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT. WE NEED TO CHANGE THE LAWS WHEN THEY INFRINGE ON YOUR FIRST
  89. AMENDMENT, FOR INSTANCE, OR YOUR FREEDOM TO TRAVEL OR FREEDOM NOT O BE VACCINATED. THAT YOU PUT IN LAWS WHERE THERE'S LIABILITY FOR THE PEOPLE
  90. THAT FORCE THAT, WHETHER IT'S PRIVATE OR GOVERNMENT. >> CONGRESSMAN, WE'RE ALMOST OUT OF TIME. A COUPLE MORE HERE. I WANT TO ASK ABOUT THE EPSTEIN FILES.
  91. AS YOU'VE NOTED, THE SPEECH AND EBATE CLAUSE ACTUALLY PROTECTS YOU FROM BEING PROSECUTED FOR WHATEVER YOU SAY ON THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE.
  92. YOU HAVE NAMED NAMES IN THE PSTEIN FILES IN THE PAST. CAN WE EXPECT YOU TO NAME MORE
  93. NAMES IN THE COMING WEEKS AND MONTHS? >> YES.
  94. TODD BLANCHE IS VIOLATING THE LAW. THERE'S STILL MILLIONS OF FILES THEY HAVEN'T RELEASED. WE KNOW FROM TALKING TO THE
  95. VICTIMS' LAWYERS THAT THEIR OWN 302 FORMS HAVEN'T BEEN RELEASED. WE KNOW THE FILES HAVE BEEN OVERREDACTED.
  96. I HAVE RELEASED AT LEAST THREE NAMES OF BILLIONAIRES WHO ARE IMPLICATED IN THIS. I DON'T THINK IT'S POSSIBLE TO GET TO CONVICTIONS WITH TODD
  97. BLANCHE AT THE TOP AND WITH THE FBI DIRECTOR, KASH PATEL, AT THE TOP BECAUSE THEY HAVE
  98. FFECTIVELY BOTH PURGE ERRED THEMSELVES BY SAYING THERE'S NOBODY ELSE IN THE FILES.
  99. EACH MELANIA KNOWS THAT, BELIEVES JEFFREY EPSTEIN DIDN'T ACT ALONE. WHETHER I'M IN CONGRESS OR NOT HE EPSTEIN FILES TRANSPARENCY
  100. ACT IS A LAW AND IT GOES ON FOR YEARS. IF WE CAN'T GET THIS ATTORNEY GENERAL AND THIS FBI DIRECTOR TO DO THE RIGHT THING THE NEXT ONES
  101. WHO TAKE THOSE SEATS ARE OBLIGATED BY LAW TO RELEASE THE FILES THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT RELEASING NOW. >> CONGRESSMAN, I WANT TO ASK
  102. ABOUT YOUR POLITICAL FUTURE. SOME OF YOUR SUPPORTERS WERE CHANTING PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT, AS YOU DELIVERED YOUR SPEECH ON TUESDAY NIGHT.
  103. ARE YOU CONSIDERING A RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028? >> I WILL NOT RULE OUT ANYTHING
  104. AND RIGHT NOW I'M NOT GOING TO RULE IN ANYTHING. LOOK, I'VE SPENT THE LAST FIVE DAYS ON MY FARM WITH MY
  105. GRANDKIDS AND MY CATTLE AND MY PEACH TREES AND IT'S A PRETTY NICE LIFE. I DON'T KNOW IF I WANT TO SCREW THAT UP AGAIN.
  106. I'VE BEEN IN CONGRESS 14 YEARS FIGHTING. EVERY HOUR THAT PASSES I GET DECOMPRESSED A LITTLE BIT MORE.
  107. IT'S LIKE COMING UP FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN. I WILL TAKE SOME TIME AND DECIDE WHAT'S NEXT, BUT I THINK I WILL
  108. STAY ENGAGED IN SOME WAY OR SHAPE. MAYBE IT'S FROM THE OUTSIDE. I'VE BEEN EXPOSING WHAT'S GOING ON IN WASHINGTON, D.C. FOR YEARS
  109. AND I WILL KEEP DOING IT. >> CONGRESSMAN, I HEAR YOU NOT RULING A POTENTIAL RUN FOR PRESIDENT OUT.
  110. WOULD YOU RUN AS A REPUBLICAN? >> I WON'T RULE ANYTHING OUT.
  111. I WON'T RULE OUT A RUN FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONER. I USED TO BE THE COUNTY JUDGE XECUTIVE HERE, THAT WAS PROBABLY THE BEST JOB I EVER HAD IN POLITICS.
  112. I WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE WATCHING THIS SHOW TO ACT LOCALLY AND TO RUN FOR LOCAL OFFICES. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
  113. THERE'S 3,000 COUNTIES IN THIS COUNTRY. RUN FOR ONE OF THOSE OFFICES. WE'VE GOT TO CHANGE IT AT THE GRASSROOTS FIRST. >> ALL RIGHT.
  114. WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR DECISION, HOPEFULLY YOU WILL COME BACK AND SHARE IT HERE. CONGRESSMAN