‘Paid Grifters’: Thomas Massie Criticizes Online Personalities, Calls For Transparency

Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie highlighted people accused of being “paid grifters” in a blisteringly critical Tuesday tweet, calling for disclosure of payments allegedly made for influence.

“If we’re going to have campaign disclosure laws at all, the paid grifters on X and other platforms should be required to disclose who’s paying them to influence elections,” Massie tweeted Tuesday morning.

If we’re going to have campaign disclosure laws at all, the paid grifters on X and other platforms should be required to disclose who’s paying them to influence elections.

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 27, 2025

Massie’s referral to campaign disclosure laws follows an April memorandum in which President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue for potentially violating federal law by allegedly processing money from foreign “straw donors.”

Top Republican Calls For Dem’s ActBlue To Stop Processing Donations For Hamas Sympathizers Following DCNF Reporthttps://t.co/ZglnLOHeJK

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 4, 2023

“The Memorandum directs the Attorney General to investigate and take appropriate action concerning allegations regarding the use of online fundraising platforms to make ‘straw’ or ‘dummy’ contributions and to make foreign contributions to U.S. political candidates and committees, all of which break the law,” a fact sheet on the memorandum which the Daily Caller News Foundation obtained read. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: ActBlue’s New Security Measures Don’t Address Fundraising Loophole Flagged By GOP Lawmakers)

Tuesday wasn’t the first time Massie called out those he claimed were “paid influencers.”

In January, popular social media creator “Catturd” appeared to threaten Massie with a defamation lawsuit after Massie seemed to call the creator out.

“Who are the most nenarded paid influencers on this platform?” Massie asked in a January tweet.

“Does anyone else compete with Cat poop and DC drainage for this title?” he asked, seemingly also referring to Rogan O’Handley, a conservative media figure who runs the popular “DC Draino” X account.

Who are the most nenarded paid influencers on this platform?

Does anyone else compete with Cat poop and DC drainage for this title?

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 6, 2025

Some high-profile conservative influencers have been linked to foreign funding previously. The DOJ alleged last year that a company later identified as Tenet Media was funded by Russian individuals linked to state media to the tune of almost $10 million. Several high-profile conservative pundits were on the Tenet Media roster before it was shut down following the DOJ indictment.