Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is repeating her calls for all Epstein files to be made public after US President Donald Trump called her a “traitor” and said he no longer supported her.
Appearing on CNN's “State of the Union” Sunday, Greene told host Dana Bash that while she still supports the president, she disagrees with his efforts to keep Epstein's files secret.
She said Trump's attacks on her not only perpetuate toxic infighting in politics, but also jeopardize her safety.
“He called me a traitor, and that is extremely wrong, and such words can turn people against me and put my life in danger,” Green said.
Greene and Trump's relationship has become increasingly rocky in recent weeks after Greene demanded the Justice Department release all of its files on late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Tensions escalated on Friday when Trump condemned Greene on Truth Social called her a “traitor,” “stupid,” and a “ranting lunatic.”
All she does is “complain, complain, complain,” Trump wrote.
While Trump's message did not mention the Epstein files, Greene told CNN that her differences with the president “all came down to the Epstein files.”
The House is expected to vote this week on a bill that would force the Justice Department to release the files. The vote could take place as soon as Tuesday, sources told CBS, the BBC's American partner.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, one of the bill's sponsors, said in an ABC News interview on Sunday that up to 100 GOP members could vote for it.
The goal of the bill, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, is to force the Justice Department to release all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump and Epstein were friends in the early 2000s. The US president has said the row ended the relationship before Epstein's legal troubles began, and he has consistently denied any wrongdoing against Epstein.
However, he has faced bipartisan criticism over his handling of the case.
“I believe the country deserves transparency in these files, and I don't believe rich and powerful people should be protected if they've done something wrong,” Greene told Bash.
Greene questioned why Trump was trying so hard to hide the files from the public, but added that she believed Epstein's victims, who she said, had told her Trump had done nothing illegal.
She said she is also focused on ending the hatred and divisive politics that she said divides American families, friends and neighbors.
“I think America needs to come together and put an end to all the toxic, dangerous rhetoric and division, and I lead by example and I hope President Trump can do the same,” she told Bash.
It's a dramatic shift in messaging for Greene, who has previously been accused of stoking political divisions by promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and publishing controversial posts on social media. She liked a post calling for the execution of former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama, and posted a photo of herself holding a gun next to images of three progressive Democratic congresswomen.
When Bash cited some of these examples, Greene repeated her past apologies and said a core part of her Christian faith is forgiveness.
