🍻 In This Week's Hill Spill Newsletter: Massie's Primary Gets Personal, a Paul Gets Cut Off and Rubio's Tracksuit Moment

Welcome to this week's Hill Spill, your favorite Thirsty Thursday political newsletter! The Hill has been pure chaos this week and we saved you a seat. We've got a nasty primary, an antisemitic tirade at a Capitol Hill bar and Marco Rubio in a tracksuit that has everyone talking. Grab a drink and let's get into it. 🍸🍺🥃

Thomas Massie was already in the fight of his political life. Then, in the final stretch of one of the nastiest and most-watched primaries in the country, things got personal.

The Kentucky Republican has spent 14 years poking leadership, irritating Trump world and generally doing whatever he wants – a brand he has proudly embraced. This cycle, MAGA finally decided to seriously try to take him out. Their guy: Trump-backed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein.

The race was already ugly and this week it got messier.

Earlier this week, a former congressional aide named Cynthia West — now running for school board in Florida — went public accusing Massie of offering her $5,000 to drop a wrongful termination complaint she filed against Rep. Victoria Spartz’s (R-Ind.) office. Hill Spill reviewed a legal document related to a proposed settlement offer tied to the complaint. West also said the two dated after Massie’s wife died and described Massie as emotionally abusive. None of the allegations have been independently verified.

Massie argued the allegations were politically motivated. West’s interview was conducted by Marcus Carey, who lost to Massie in 2012. Massie noted it was filmed in the office of Todd McMurtry, another former opponent. And one of the first people to blast it online was Eric Deters, who Massie beat in 2024, the congressman added.

“If anybody says it’s not politically motivated, when the three people who orchestrated it were three people I beat in the last elections, they’re sorely mistaken,” Massie told us.

The Kentucky conservative flatly denied West’s allegations.

“All of the claims of inappropriate conduct are false. I’ve never offered anyone money in exchange for their silence,” Massie said, calling the timing “an obvious attempt to influence the outcome of this election.”

He was a lot less bothered by the online chatter about dating staffers.

“I do only date libertarian-leaning Republicans,” he joked. “I’m not dating any liberals, contrary to the ads.”

Massie said the breakup was amicable for months and only soured after, according to him, West asked him to intervene in a matter using his office and he declined.

“I think that’s when she got mad,” he said.

Massie supporters also pointed to cordial tweets West tagged Massie in after the breakup, arguing the relationship did not initially appear contentious.

Spartz addressed the matter in a post on X, saying West “held a temporary 90-day probationary position” and that her employment “was not extended beyond that period due to unsatisfactory job performance.”

West has denied coordinating with Trump allies or the Gallrein campaign and said she came forward because she objected to Massie publicly pushing Epstein transparency while trying to silence her privately.

If Massie is rattled, he’s hiding it well.

He told us fundraising spiked after the story dropped, saying his campaign hauled in roughly $2 million over ten days during an online fundraising push.

“It’s backfiring on them so hard,” he said. “They’ve also got a false poll out there that shows I’m losing,” Massie added, dismissing surveys showing him down.

But a number of Kentucky operatives we spoke to said they think he may have some real problems with some projecting defeat. A recent Quantus Insights poll showed Gallrein leading Massie 48.3% to 43.1% after Massie led comfortably in April.

Tuesday’s going to be interesting, and we plan to be watching.

Sen. Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) son, William Paul, had a big Tuesday night. NOTUS's Reese Gorman, a friend of the newsletter, witnessed all the drama.

Gorman was talking to Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) at the Tune Inn bar when William Paul, seated just a couple of seats down, barged in with a take: if Rep. Thomas Massie loses his Kentucky primary on May 19, it would be because of "your people." Lawler asked him to clarify. Paul's answer was "Jews." When Lawler pointed out that he is actually Irish-Italian Catholic, Paul said he was sorry for assuming otherwise — which, as Lawler later noted, is a pretty remarkable thing to apologize for.

From there, Paul launched into what Lawler would later describe as a roughly 10-minute diatribe, calling Jewish people "anti-American" and accusing Lawler and his "Jewish supporters" of serving Israel more than America, according to the NOTUS report. Lawler pushed back and told Paul he was being antisemitic, at which point Paul raised his middle finger, paid his tab, and tripped and stumbled on his way out.

The Tune Inn — known for its bomb mozzarella sticks, which we love — asserted it would not tolerate that type of rhetoric in an. instagram post. "That person had his last drink at the Tune that night," the bar said, noting that it is "a safe space for EVERYONE."

William Paul took to X the next day to apologize for his behavior, posting: “Last night, I had too much to drink and said some things that don’t represent who I really am. I’m sorry and today I am seeking help for my drinking problem.”

We are glad the senator’s son is seeking the help he needs.

This week on the pod we caught up with former Rep. Denver Riggleman — conspiracy theory debunker, distiller and one of the most unfiltered people to ever serve in Congress (we love that tell-all energy) — who joined us to talk about what it's really like behind closed doors on the Hill. He gets into why he thinks most members are show horses, how transactional the whole thing really is and why he hates the two-party system entirely. Grab a bev and go listen!

Our own Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has thoughts about what you wear on a plane. Secretary of State Marco Rubio apparently has thoughts too... just different ones. This week Rubio was spotted in a fit so Caracas-coded The New York Post dubbed it "Maduromaxxing." We wanted to get your thoughts on who looks better in this fit.

This week is Police Week and we want to give a special thanks to the hardworking law enforcement that keep us safe every day up here on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers made an effort to show their appreciation in a big way this week, from candlelight vigils to a whole lot of pizza.

Over on the House side, Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) hosted his annual "Pizza for Police" lunch, with hundreds of officers pouring through the whip's office and about a dozen members of Congress stopping by for a slice. He also lit his Capitol windows blue all week, a tradition he has kept since taking the whip job. Emmer told us: "Police officers protect and defend everything we hold dear. The least we can do is show our appreciation for their hard work and sacrifice. And who doesn't like pizza? Our office was grateful to host law enforcement from across the country this week to discuss their needs, show our support, and express our immense gratitude."

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hosted a candlelight tribute on the Capitol steps earlier this week, drawing members and families of fallen officers. Majority Leader Scalise (R-La.) — who nearly lost his life in a 2017 shooting and credits Capitol Police with saving him — reminded colleagues that over 100 officers were killed in the line of duty last year alone. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Judiciary Chairman Grassley (R-Iowa) also took to the floor, with Grassley introducing a formal resolution honoring officers and shepherding several pro-police bills through committee.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) was a notable voice, hitting the Senate floor to thank officers and urge her colleagues to invest more resources to ensure police have what they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.

In honor of Secretary Rubio's very talked-about tracksuit moment, we're serving up a classic mojito this week. Drip optional.

Muddle the mint with the simple syrup in a glass, add lime juice and rum, fill with ice and top with club soda. Garnish and enjoy. 🍹🌿