Massie ally criticized for attacking opponent’s VA disability rating

A colleague of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is getting pushback for painting Ed Gallrein, Massie’s rival, as a veteran who might abuse disability benefits.

“Ed Gallrein received federal benefits for being 100% physically disabled, while claiming to be a full-time farm worker for his family,” Andrew Cooperrider, broadcaster and podcast host, wrote on Facebook.

“This raises important questions about consistency, transparency and accountability.”

The document has been criticized by veterans community experts who call it an abuse of the Veterans Affairs (VA) disability rating system. It also highlights the sensitivity of a race that pits a Trump endorser against one of the president’s most vocal critics.

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“I think it’s outrageous that any kind of campaign would try to use the VA disability rating against somebody,” said Mark Lucas, Founder and President of Veteran Action, an advocacy group, referring to Cooperrider’s post.

“Just because a veteran has a disability doesn’t mean they can’t work,” added Lucas.

Gallrein has positioned himself as a candidate for Trump who wants to remove a major thorn in the side of the GOP. He argues that Massie’s decision to vote against Trump’s Good Bill, his push to pass the Epstein Files Privacy Act and his constant criticism of overseas conflicts in Iran and Venezuela all go against the grain of the party.

Gallrein received Trump’s endorsement earlier this year.

Tim Murtaugh, an adviser to his campaign, criticized Cooperrider’s post on Facebook, calling the criticism “an offensive attack.”

“This is a senseless and outrageous attack on veterans, a potentially illegal invasion of privacy and proves that Massie and his allies have no shame and no honor,” Murtaugh said.

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Ed Gallrein has launched a congressional campaign to challenge Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky after President Donald Trump endorsed him. The announcement took place in the Oval Office at the White House in March. (Fox News)

Before his political ambitions, Gallrein served as a member of SEAL Team Six, deploying to conflict zones in Panama, the Persian Gulf among others, before returning to work on his family’s farm, according to his online biography.

It’s unclear what type of injury led the Department of Veterans Affairs to give Gallrein a 100 percent disability rating.

Darin Selnick, former VA Affairs adviser to the White House Domestic Policy Council and senior adviser to Veteran Action, explained that the disability rating is a multi-factor assessment of service-related injuries that then serves as the basis for government assistance.

He stressed that veterans have little say in the rate they end up getting.

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Signs are displayed outside the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington, DC (Stephanie Reynolds/Bloomberg)

“When you apply, the VA has an independent medical examiner look at your medical records. They do an additional medical exam to verify what’s in the medical records. That report goes to the rater,” Selnick said.

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“The VA then says, okay, based on this rate, you get X amount of compensation per month for a service-connected injury that happened to you.”

Cooperrider did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.