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Representative Massie Honors USS Liberty Crew on House Floor
Rep. Thomas Massie spoke on the House floor June 8, 2026, marking the 59th anniversary of the 1967 attack on the USS Liberty. He described the incident and introduced survivors present in the chamber.
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On June 8, 2026, Rep. Thomas Massie spoke on the House floor to recognize the crew of the USS Liberty on the 59th anniversary of the June 8, 1967 attack. Massie stated that Israeli jets and torpedo boats attacked the ship during the Six-Day War, killing 34 crew members and wounding at least 171 others.
He described the vessel as lightly armed and said the American flag was visible under clear skies. Massie recounted survivor accounts that Israeli aircraft strafed the ship for 25 minutes, fired rockets and cannons, dropped napalm on the bridge, and machine-gunned lifeboats and firefighters on deck.
Congressional Response Rep.
Dan Crenshaw posted on X that he questioned Massie’s authenticity after the speech, writing that objective analysis shows the attack was a case of mistaken identity. Massie told reporters he decided to speak after meeting survivor Phil Tourney and learning the anniversary date.
He noted that more than a dozen survivors attended the session and that many crew members are now in their eighties. Journalist Michelle Kinnucan, who filed a Freedom of Information Act request for records on the incident, said Massie’s action was an “all-too-rare act of political courage” and called for full declassification of U.S. government files.
USS Liberty Veterans Association President Larry L. Bowen stated in 2022 that the government had treated the attack as an accident and provided little support to survivors.
