John Kerry: Congressman stalling aid bill 'tested positive for being an a**hole'

Former Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the Republican congressman who forced lawmakers back to Washington D.C. this week amid a raging coronavirus outbreak, calling on him to “be quarantined to prevent the spread of his massive stupidity.”

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) drew bipartisan condemnation over his demand that House lawmakers return to Capitol Hill for a roll call vote on the Senate’s coronavirus relief bill, despite alternative voting methods that wouldn’t require House members to be physically present to weigh in.

Donald Trump himself called Massie a “third-rate grandstander” on Friday morning — even going so far as to call for his expulsion from the GOP — prompting Kerry to respond in surprise agreement with a profane tweet of his own.

“Breaking news: Congressman Massie has tested positive for being an asshole,” Kerry tweeted. “He must be quarantined to prevent the spread of his massive stupidity. He’s given new meaning to the term #Masshole. (Finally, something the president and I can agree on!)”

Kerry and Massie already have a contentious history.

During a House Oversight Committee hearing in 2019 about climate change, Massie questioned why Kerry — who helped negotiate the Paris Climate Agreement and was present at the hearing to testify about the global threat — was an expert in the field because he only had a degree in Political Science, which Massie called “pseudoscience.”

Kerry was aghast at Massie’s line of questioning.

“Are you serious? I mean, this is really a serious happening here?” Kerry said, to laughter from the room.

Massie drew bipartisan condemnation from his fellow House members this week, who were forced to board last-minute flights to make it back to the Capitol.

Rep. Pete King (R-NY) called Massie “disgraceful” and “irresponsible” in a Friday morning tweet.

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) sarcastically thanked Massie for making him get on a red eye flight, saying he was requiring House lawmakers — some of whom have fallen ill with COVID-19 or are awaiting test results to see if they were infected with the virus — to make “real sacrifices” to get back.

Because of the COVID-19 outbreak among House members, the chamber is taking extra precautions during the vote to prevent further spread, limiting who can be on the House floor, restricting elevators down to the House chamber, and prohibiting large clusters of members on the floor.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.