Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is reiterating her calls for the release of all Epstein files, after US President Donald Trump called her a “traitor” and said he no longer supports her.
Speaking to CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Greene told host Dana Bash that while she still supports the president, she does not agree with his efforts to keep the Epstein files under wraps.
She said Trump’s attacks on her are not just perpetuating toxic in-fighting in politics, but also putting her safety at risk.
“He called me a traitor, and that is so extremely wrong, and those are the types of words used that can radicalize people against me and put my life in danger,” said Greene.
Greene and Trump’s relationship has grown increasingly rocky in the past few weeks after Greene pushed for the Department of Justice to release all files it has on the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The tension escalated on Friday when Trump condemned Greene on Truth Social calling her a “traitor”, “wacky”, and a “ranting Lunatic”.
All she does is “COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN”, Trump wrote.
While Trump’s post does not mention the Epstein files, Greene told CNN that her fallout with the president has “all come down to the Epstein files”.
The House is expected to hold a vote this week on legislation that would force the Justice Department to release the files to the public. The vote could happen as soon as Tuesday, sources told CBS, the BBC’s US partner.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, a co-sponsor of the bill, said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that as many as 100 GOP members could vote in favour.
Known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the aim of the bill is to make the justice department release all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump and Epstein were friends in the early 2000s. The US president has said a falling out ended the relationship before Epstein’s legal troubles began and he has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
Still, he has faced bipartisan criticism over his handling of the case records.
“I believe the country deserves transparency in these files, and I don’t believe that rich, powerful people should be protected if they have done anything wrong,” Greene told Bash.
Greene questioned why Trump is pushing so hard to keep the files from public view, but added that she believes Epstein’s victims who she says have told her that Trump did nothing illegal.
She said she’s also focused on ending hate and division in politics, which she said is splitting apart American families, friends and neighbours.
“I think America needs to come together and end all the toxic, dangerous rhetoric and divide, and I’m leading the way with my own example, and I hope that President Trump can do the same,” she told Bash.
It’s a stark messaging shift for Greene, who has previously been accused of stoking political divisions by promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and elevating controversial posts on social media.
She liked a post that called for the executions of former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama, and posted a photo of herself holding a gun beside images of three progressive Democratic congresswomen.
When Bash brought up some of these examples, Greene reiterated her past apologies and said a core part of her Christian faith is forgiveness.
By BBC News
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