Kinzinger Gets Into Back-and-Forth With Massie Over COVID Vaccines

Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “quietly” removed information about the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from their website last month.

Massie claimed in a tweet that  “misleading information” about the vaccines was taken down sometime between July 16 and July 22, linking to the page titled, “Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines.”

“[The CDC] is quietly deleting misleading information from their website,” the Republican congressman wrote, “The following statement was removed from their website between July 16th and July 22nd: ‘The mRNA and the spike protein do not last long in the body.’”

He then linked the current page, notably lacking the aforementioned phrase.

The claims were corroborated by other users, who pulled up side-by-side comparisons between the page now, and its counterpart before the changes, citing other examples where the CDC changed definitions in light of the COVID pandemic.

Massie’s observation prompted pushback from colleague, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) who accused him of lying.

“You know this is a lie,” Kinzinger wrote. “MRNA creates spike protein, WHICH THEN causes immune response.  So they both leave the body of course, All they do is trigger the response.  It’s basic science and you are literally lying to your followers.”

Kinzinger, who is one of two Republicans who are a part of the January 6 House Select Committee, the other being soon-to-be removed Wyoming Rep Liz Cheney, very quickly received pushback from others online, who refuted his claims and agreed with Massie.

Brave CEO and JavaScript creator Brendan Eich linked to a study showing “vaccine spike antigen and mRNA persist for weeks in lymph node GCs.”

“Rep. Kingzinger, you are mistaken (and it’s rash to jump to “lie”),” he wrote. “Rep. Massie is — as usual — right.”

Kinzinger’s comment then led Massie to inquire about the donations he gave to his opponent several years ago.

“[Rep. Kinzinger], CDC took the time and effort to delete this graphic from their web site, so why call me a liar?” Massie continued, poking fun at Kinzinger and Cheney, both of whom have been labeled RINOs by many GOP members. “I assume you’re still bitter about that time you and [Rep. Cheney] got caught donating $ to my opponent who was posting racist tropes? Did you ever get your $ back?”

Back in 2020, both Cheney and Kinzinger, in an attempt to remove Massie, backed his opponent in an election. That opponent, lawyer Todd McMurtry, had made racist comments openly on his Twitter page. Massie referenced the donations several months ago while calling out Cheney for trying to defeat him.