Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) dismissed on Thursday the fringe conspiracy theories that emerged in the wake of his wife's death last week. Massie recently announced the passing of his 51-year-old wife and high school sweetheart Rhonda, describing her as "the smartest kindest woman ever, my beautiful and wise queen forever." He did not state a cause of death. Rhonda Massie's passing quickly sparked a number of conspiracies to circulate on social media, including the standard right-wing blaming of the COVID vaccine, and a more sinister belief that her death was linked to her husband's appearance on Tucker Carlson's show weeks prior where he criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's influence on Congress.