Remember when members of Congress exuberantly celebrated voting in favor of sending billions more taxpayer aid to Ukraine? The occasion was marked with joyful revelry at the thought of continuing to fund a war in Eastern Europe.
Some might recall, however, that not everyone was happy about the foreign aid package and the abundance of utter exhilaration that came with it on the House floor. One of those was Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who filmed the debacle. Now, it appears he is getting punished for not going along with the festivities.
Massie did not mince words. In a post on X, he slammed House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), accusing him of “sharing the GOP speakership with Democrats.” Indeed, the speaker did collaborate with Democratic lawmakers to pass the foreign aid measures, a move that has attracted criticism from folks like Massie and others.
However, Massie also called out his colleagues for waving Ukrainian flags during the vote.
This is the U.S. House of Representatives under the direction of Speaker Mike Johnson. Democrats are celebrating his total capitulation with no victory for securing our border. #MTV pic.twitter.com/TtaIgnX9eg
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 20, 2024
Now, it appears Massie is being punished for exposing the fiasco on social media. On Tuesday, he wrote a post in which he said he got a call from the House Sergeant at Arms threatening to fine him if he refuses to delete the post.
Instead of fining democrats for waving flags, the House Sergeant at Arms just called and said I will be fined $500 if I don’t delete this video post.
Mike Johnson really wants to memory hole this betrayal of America. https://t.co/5DPWoo4cLw
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 23, 2024
On Saturday, the House passed the measure with a majority of Republicans voting against the measure.
As we reported, the House passed the bill for Ukraine aid and the celebrations on the floor from Democrats were wild, with people waving Ukraine flags. You would have thought that they represented Ukraine, and not the U.S.with the way that they were acting. Indeed, some seemed to think that Ukraine was the 51st state, with Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA) even declaring that while “Some say, well, we have to deal with our border first. The Ukrainian Russian border is OUR border!” That’s how off the rails these folks are now.
It’s not clear whether Johnson ordered the Sergeant at Arms to issue the fine. But Congress’ rules do allow a lawmaker to be fined for “the use of an electronic device for still photography or for audio or visual recording or broadcasting in contravention of clause 5 of rule XVII and any applicable Speaker’s announced policy on electronic devices.”
Not only is this a silly rule, but Massie did not film any activity that hadn’t already been reported in the press. The video was shared by several media outlets and lawmakers after the vote. The notion that he should be fined for his actions is absurd and reeks of retaliation.
