{"id":130662,"date":"2026-05-05T07:00:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T11:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/massie-ally-sparks-backlash-after-accusing-trump-backed-challenger-of-abusing-va-benefits-130662"},"modified":"2026-05-05T07:00:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T11:00:38","slug":"massie-ally-sparks-backlash-after-accusing-trump-backed-challenger-of-abusing-va-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/massie-ally-sparks-backlash-after-accusing-trump-backed-challenger-of-abusing-va-benefits-130662","title":{"rendered":"Massie ally sparks backlash after accusing Trump-backed challenger of abusing VA benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

An ally of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is receiving blowback for painting Ed Gallrein, Massie\u2019s challenger, as a veteran potentially abusing disability benefits.<\/p>\n

“Ed Gallrein has received government benefits for claiming to be 100% physically disabled, while also claiming to do demanding full-time farm work on his family\u2019s operation,” Andrew Cooperrider, a radio and podcast host, said in a post to <\/a>Facebook<\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n

“This raises serious questions about consistency, transparency and accountability.”<\/p>\n

The post drew criticisms from experts in the veterans’<\/a> community for what they called a mischaracterization of the Veterans Affairs (VA) disability rating system. It also highlights the sensitivity of a race that pits a Trump-endorsed candidate against one of the president’s most frequent critics.<\/p>\n

SCOOP: TRUMP-BACKED FORMER NAVY SEAL LAUNCHES GOP PRIMARY CHALLENGE AGAINST MASSIE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“I think it\u2019s disgraceful that any type of campaign would try to use a VA disability rating against somebody,” Mark Lucas, Founder and President of Veteran Action, an advocacy group, said of Cooperrider\u2019s post.<\/p>\n

“Just because a veteran has a disability, it does not mean that they can\u2019t work,” Lucas added.<\/p>\n

Gallrein has positioned himself as a pro-Trump candidate looking to unseat the biggest thorn in the side of the GOP. He contends that Massie\u2019s decision to vote against Trump\u2019s Big Beautiful Bill,<\/a> his push to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act and constant criticisms of overseas conflicts in Iran and Venezuela all go against the grain of the party.<\/p>\n

Gallrein received Trump\u2019s endorsement earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Tim Murtaugh, an advisor to his campaign, blasted Cooperrider\u2019s Facebook post, calling the criticism an “offensive attack.”<\/p>\n

“This is a ridiculous and offensive attack on a veteran, a potentially illegal invasion of privacy and it proves Massie and his allies<\/a> truly have no shame and no honor,” Murtaugh said.<\/p>\n

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH NAVY SEAL EDDIE GALLAGHER AS TRUMP POISED TO INTERVENE IN CASE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Prior to his political aspirations, Gallrein served as a member of SEAL Team Six, deploying to conflict zones in Panama, Persian Gulf among others, before returning to work on his family\u2019s farm, according to his online biography.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear what kind of injuries led the Department of Veterans\u2019 Affairs<\/a> to give Gallrein the 100% disability rating.<\/p>\n

Darin Selnick, former VA Affairs advisor for the White House<\/a> Domestic Policy Council and a senior advisor for Veteran Action, explained that a disability rating is a multi-factor assessment of injuries sustained in service-related activity that then serves as a basis for federal assistance.<\/p>\n

He stressed that veterans have little say in the rating they ultimately receive.<\/p>\n

ARMY OFFICER-TURNED-CREATOR \u2018MANDATORYFUNDAY\u2019 RISES ABOVE VETERANS DAY BACKLASH: ‘I CHOOSE TO LAUGH’<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“When you file for the claim, the VA has an independent medical examiner that looks at your medical records. They do additional medical examinations to confirm what’s in the medical records. That report goes to the ratings examiner,” Selnick said.<\/p>\n

“VA then says, okay, based on this rating, you then get X amount of compensation per month for the service-connected injuries that happened to you.”<\/p>\n

Cooperrider did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/massie-ally-sparks-backlash-after-accusing-trump-backed-challenger-abusing-va-benefits <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An ally of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is receiving blowback for painting Ed Gallrein, Massie\u2019s challenger, as a veteran potentially abusing disability benefits. “Ed Gallrein […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-130662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMassie ally sparks backlash after accusing Trump-backed challenger of abusing VA benefits - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/massie-ally-sparks-backlash-after-accusing-trump-backed-challenger-of-abusing-va-benefits-130662\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Massie ally sparks backlash after accusing Trump-backed challenger of abusing VA benefits - Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An ally of Rep. 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