Lone Republican Votes Against Resolution Condemning Anti-Semitism in 420-1 Vote (Updated)

The House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning rising anti-Semitism by a vote of 420-1 on Wednesday.

Congressional observers who hadn’t seen the roll call might be inclined to guess the lone “nay” vote belonged to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).

They’d be correct.

Massie, who has gained a reputation in the House as “Mr. No,” cast a vote against the measure, which calls anti-Semitism “an insidious form of prejudice stretching back millennia that attacks the humanity of the Jewish people and has led to violence, destruction of lives and communities, and genocide.”

On Thursday, the congressman explained his vote on Twitter, saying, “This bill promoted internet censorship and violations of the 1st amendment.”

I don’t hate anyone based on his or her ethnicity or religion. Legitimate government exists, in part, to punish those who commit unprovoked violence against others, but government can’t legislate thought.

This bill promoted internet censorship and violations of the 1st amendment https://t.co/MWkvcOba7K

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 19, 2022

There is a provision in the resolution that “calls on social media platforms to institute stronger and more significant efforts to measure and address online antisemitism while protecting free speech concerns.”

Massie is fresh off a landslide Republican primary win on Tuesday, where he notched 75% of the vote. Former President Donald Trump endorsed him in his reelection bid, despite the fact Trump had previously called for Massie to be thrown out of the GOP.

During the early phases of the Covid-19 pandemic, Massie  attempted to delay a vote on a $2.2 trillion rescue plan. That irked Trump, who tweeted, “Throw Massie out of Republican Party!” In another tweet, he called the congressman a “third rate grandstander.”

The resolution condemns conspiracy theories about Jews and says those ideas have led to mass murder, including the Holocaust. It “calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil society leaders to use their bully pulpit to condemn and combat any and all manifestations of antisemitism” and “supports the right of Americans to freely exercise their religious beliefs and rejects all forms of terror and hate,” among other provisions.

This article has been updated to include Rep. Massie’s tweet explaining his vote the day after casting it. Mediaite had reached out to the congressman’s office for comment on Wednesday, but did not receive a response before publication.