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Although Americans hardly need a reminder that Donald Trump values loyalty above all else, they got one anyway on Friday when the president commuted the sentence of former New York representative George Santos and endorsed a potential primary opponent of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), the lawmaker behind the effort to release the Epstein files to the public.

The fact that Trump harbors ill will toward Massie is no secret.

The lawmaker is the only House Republican who actually practices the brand of fiscal responsibility that his party preaches when it is not in power. In addition, as a staunch supporter of the Constitution, Massie often clashes with the president who is… decidedly not.

However, what has really drawn Trump’s ire is that the lawmaker is trying to force the release of all of the documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that the federal government has in its possession.

This is something that the president, who used to be pals with the infamous sexual predator, and his allies have been trying to prevent at all costs.

For example, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has kept the House of Representatives out of session for weeks now to keep Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) from signing Massie’s discharge petition on the issue.

And the Kentucky lawmaker isn’t keeping quiet about it.

“Why are we in recess? Because the day we go back into session, I have 218 votes for the discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files,” Massie stated last week. “[Speaker Johnson] doesn’t want that to be the news.”

Therefore, it is hardly surprising that Trump wants to get rid of Massie, whom he called a “third-rate Congressman” and a “weak and pathetic RINO,” on Friday.

In a social media post, the president encouraged former Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, to get in the race.

“Unlike ‘lightweight’ Massie, a totally ineffective LOSER who has failed us so badly, CAPTAIN ED GALLREIN IS A WINNER WHO WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN,” Trump wrote.

Just before his rant against Massie, the president left no doubt as to what makes a “good” lawmaker.

Trump announced in another social media post that he is commuting the sentence of Santos, who was sentenced to serve seven years in prison earlier this year after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft and wire fraud.

Santos became a household name when it was revealed that he fabricated his life story. However, Republicans took their sweet time to boot the scandal-plagued lawmaker from Congress because he was a reliable GOP vote.

To Trump, that last part is all that matters, which is why Santos will now walk free.

“George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison,” Trump wrote.

We assume it takes one to know one. After all, Trump is also a felon and, like Santos, accused of sexual harassment and making false statements.

In any case, the president left no doubt about what matters to him, saying that “at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!”

So there you have it.

Just in case you were still wondering about Trump’s priorities, perhaps the most principled* Republican in Congress is being vilified for not toeing the party line while one of the most corrupt lawmakers in recent memory gets to walk free.

* This assumes that you don’t consider consistent “cowardice” and “bootlicking” principles.