Rep. Ilhan Omar Says Pro-Israel PACs Ousted Thomas Massie Over Gaza, Anti-War Stance: “Those $30 Million Did Not Come From Thin Air”

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said Tuesday that Rep. Thomas Massie’s primary defeat was driven by his support for Epstein files transparency, anti-war positions, and his opposition to U.S. funding for military operations in Gaza, and by more than $30 million in outside spending, she said, that was no mystery to trace.

“Yes. And his anti-war stances, his advocacy in trying to make sure our tax dollars don’t continue to fund a genocide in Gaza,” Omar told MeidasTouch reporter Pablo Manriquez when asked whether Massie lost because of his push for Epstein files transparency. “Those $30 million did not come from thin air. We know who paid for that money.”

Massie, a Kentucky Republican who had long criticized unconditional U.S. aid to Israel and drawn opposition from AIPAC, lost the GOP primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to Ed Gallrein, a candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump. The race became the most expensive House primary on record, with over $30 million spent largely by pro-Israel political action committees, including AIPAC’s United Democracy Project and the Republican Jewish Coalition.

When Manriquez noted that Massie had said Israel is “the only country that is allowed to buy elections” in the United States, Omar did not dispute the characterization.

“Well, certainly in his case, in Cori Bush’s case, and in Jamaal Bowman’s case, that statement seems to be accurate,” she said.