Marjorie Taylor Greene doubles down on calls to release Epstein files
Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is renewing her call for the release of all Epstein files after US President Donald Trump called her a “traitor” and said he no longer supports him.
Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Greene told host Dana Bash that while she still supports the president, she disagrees with his efforts to keep the Epstein files secret.
He said Trump’s attacks on him not only perpetuate toxic conflicts in politics but also put his security at risk.
“He called me a traitor, and that’s deeply wrong, and those are the kinds of words that could radicalize people against me and put my life in danger,” Greene said.
Greene and Trump’s relationship has become increasingly rocky over the past few weeks after Greene pressured the Justice Department to release all files it has on late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Tensions escalated further on Friday when Trump called Greene a “traitor,” “crazy” and “crazy” at Truth Social.
Trump wrote that all he did was “COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN.”
Although Trump’s post did not mention the Epstein files, Greene told CNN that her disagreements with the president “all come down to the Epstein files.”
The House is expected to vote this week on whether to release the files publicly, and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that as many as 100 GOP members could vote in favor.
The purpose of the bill, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, is to ensure that the justice department releases all declassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials connected to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump and Epstein were friends in the early 2000s. The US president said a disagreement ended the relationship before Epstein’s legal troubles began, and he has consistently denied any wrongdoing involving Epstein.
Still, he has faced bipartisan criticism for his handling of the case records.
“I believe the country deserves transparency about these files, and I don’t believe rich, powerful people should be protected if they’ve done something wrong,” Greene told Bash.
Greene questioned why Trump went to such lengths to hide the files from the public, but added that she believed Epstein’s victims told her Trump had done nothing illegal.
He also said he is focused on ending the hatred and division in politics that is tearing American families, friends and neighbors apart.
“I think America needs to come together and end all the toxic, dangerous rhetoric and division, and I’m leading that way by my example, and I hope President Trump can do the same,” he told Bash.
It’s a sharp shift in messaging for Greene, who has previously been accused of stoking political divisions by promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and highlighting controversial posts on social media. He liked the post calling for the execution of former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama and posted a photo of himself holding a gun alongside pictures of three progressive Democratic congresswomen.
When Bash brought up some of those examples, Greene reiterated her past apologies and said a core part of the Christian faith is forgiveness.
