Republican Congressman Calls Out Trump for Overheated Rhetoric: ‘He Should Probably Tone That Down’

Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said President Donald Trump should tone down the rhetoric after the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Kirk’s killing prompted a furious reaction among many Republicans who insist the shooting must have been politically motivated. The gunman remains at large, and the motive is currently unknown.

For his part, Massie said Trump’s hands are far from clean.

”I mean, there is a lot of rhetoric. And the president himself engages in it — he called it a hostile act to co-sponsor the Epstein resolution,” Massie told The Hill on Thursday. “I think that’s ridiculous rhetoric.”

Last week, the White House released a statement from an unnamed official addressing Massie’s resolution seeking the release of the files related to deceased child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

“Helping Thomas Massie and Liberal Democrats with their attention-seeking, while the DOJ is fully supporting a more comprehensive file release effort from the Oversight Committee, would be viewed as a very hostile act to the administration,” the statement said.

Massie said that while such rhetoric doesn’t offend him, the president should dial it down.

“It’s amusing,” he said. “It doesn’t offend me that he’s over the top with the rhetoric, but some people take it literally, and he should probably tone that down himself.”

On Wednesday night, Trump blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s assassination, calling it “directly responsible.”

The Kentucky Republican has repeatedly irked Trump, first with his steady stream of “No” votes and now with his efforts to make the Epstein files public, which Trump’s Department of Justice said it would not do. The president is aiming to oust Massie, and congressional Republican leadership is obliging, as it is refusing to support his reelection bid next year.