Last night Trump praised the sponsor of the resolution to censure Adam Schiff for his Russia collusion lies.
In the post he suggested that any Republicans voting against the resolution should be primaried:
Anna Paulina Luna is a STAR. She never gives up, especially in holding total lowlifes like Adam “Shifty” Schiff responsible for their lies, deceit, deception, and actually putting our Country at great risk, for which he should be imprisoned! He is a Leaker and a Scoundrel. Any Republican voting against his CENSURE, or worse, should immediately be primaried. There are plenty of great candidates out there!
The media ran with this as though Trump was saying the 20 who voted against it last week should be primaried. But that’s not what he said, as Thomas Massie points out:
Trump is using words like one might use a laser pointer with a cat.
He said “voting” but media reports as if he said “voted.” He says “or worse” because he knows the $16M fine has been removed and the censure will be reintroduced.
He wants to look like a boss if/when it passes. pic.twitter.com/rnuWOLRRBx
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) June 17, 2023
Massie suggests Trump wants to look like a boss, meaning that Trump wants people to believe his influence and threats are why it will pass next week when it comes up for a second vote.
But Massie says if the resolution passes next week, it won’t be because of Trump’s threats:
I couldn’t care less if he’s calling for 20 people to be primaried, but that is not what he’s saying.
When I said CARES Act would be ruinous to our nation & passing it without a vote was unconstitutional, he said to throw me out of the GOP and I got 81% in that primary.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) June 17, 2023
If the censure passes next week, it will be because I identified a troublesome provision in the censure — the $16 million fine — and now it has been removed.
It won’t be because 20 people who voted their conscience are scared of Trump — although he wants you to think they are.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) June 17, 2023
I think he’s right on the money here. It was clear the $16 million dollar fine was why so many Republicans sided with Democrats. Now that the fine is gone, enough Republicans will come back to pass the resolution and censure Schiff.