In recent developments on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, tried to bully conservative Congressman Thomas Massie. However, are now he’s decided not to impose a $500 fine on Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
This decision came after Rep. Massie shared a video on social media that showcased Democratic lawmakers on the House floor cheering and waving Ukrainian flags. The clip quickly went viral, amassing over 7.5 million views on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter.
The incident occurred during a vote on a spending package that included $60 billion in aid for Ukraine. According to the rules set by the House Radio Television Correspondents’ Gallery, no one is allowed to “shoot live or recorded video images” within these chambers.
Rep. Massie, expressing his discontent with the situation, commented on social media about the Democratic celebration, suggesting it was a “total capitulation” with no significant progress on securing the U.S. border. He also shared that the House Sergeant at Arms had contacted him, threatening a fine if the video was not removed from his social media page. Massie’s post read: “Instead of fining democrats for waving flags, the House Sergeant at Arms just called and said I will be fined $500 if I don’t delete this video post. Mike Johnson really wants to memory hole this betrayal of America.”
The situation escalated with reactions from various quarters. Elon Musk, the owner of X, expressed his surprise and confusion about the possibility of being fined for posting a video. Additionally, Representative Lauren Boebert from Colorado and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia voiced their support for Massie. Rep. Boebert even offered to cover the fine for Massie, encouraging him to keep the video posted, while Rep. Greene criticized the leadership and threatened to post a similar video herself.
You can be fined for posting a video?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 23, 2024
Ultimately, Speaker Johnson backed off because that’s what RINOs do when they can’t snake there way through a situation.
