Massey Claims Epstein File Funders Are Same Billionaires Behind Primary Opponent
"The people who are funding my opponent. These are the people who have the ear of the president. These are the people who are changing, dominating our foreign policy decisions. They're the billionaires. And these are also the same people who are in the Epstein files."
About this episode
Piers Morgan hosted an explosive debate on the defeat of Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massey, who lost the most expensive primary in US history after AIPAC and pro-Israel billionaires spent over $15 million to unseat him. Glenn Greenwald, Will Chamberlain, Clay Travis, and Buckley Carlson clashed over whether Massey's defeat resulted from his opposition to Trump's domestic agenda or his increasingly vocal criticism of Israel and US Middle East policy. Greenwald and Carlson argued that Miriam Adelson and other Israeli-focused donors have captured Trump's decision-making, pointing to Massey's claims that the same billionaires funding his opponent appear in the Epstein files and control US foreign policy. Chamberlain and Travis countered that Massey lost because he voted against Trump's signature legislation and that voters simply preferred Trump's endorsed candidate. The episode expanded into heated exchanges about the Iran war, with Greenwald claiming Trump has no viable exit strategy and remains trapped in an unwinnable conflict, while Chamberlain insisted US military superiority would prevail through escalation. Carlson made extraordinary allegations that Trump now protects pedophiles and has betrayed his base on surveillance, foreign wars, and economic policy. The second segment featured Mehdi Hasan discussing the San Diego mosque terror attack, arguing that anti-Muslim rhetoric has been mainstreamed by Republican politicians in ways that antisemitism has not been, while acknowledging rising hate crimes against both communities. Hasan and Morgan debated whether Islamophobia receives equivalent attention to antisemitism, the role of media in stoking immigration fears, and double standards in how religious communities are treated. The episode crystallized fundamental questions about foreign influence in American politics and whether Trump controls his own agenda or serves donor interests.
Key takeaways
- Thomas Massey alleged his opponent's funders are named in Epstein files and control Trump's foreign policy decisions through billionaire donations.
- Pro-Israel donors spent over $15 million in Kentucky's 4th District primary, making it the most expensive congressional primary in US history.
- Glenn Greenwald claimed Trump has no exit strategy from Iran war and remains trapped between humiliating withdrawal or indefinite costly escalation.
- Buckley Carlson accused Trump administration of deliberately protecting pedophiles and betraying MAGA base on surveillance and foreign wars.
- Will Chamberlain argued Massey lost because he opposed Trump's big beautiful bill containing the entirety of Trump's domestic agenda.
- Mehdi Hasan argued anti-Muslim rhetoric has been mainstreamed by Republican politicians including members of Congress in ways antisemitism has not.
- FBI statistics show nearly 70% of religion-based US hate crimes target Jews despite Muslims facing normalized institutional discrimination.