The woman who once compared mask mandates to the Holocaust just declared war on Donald Trump over Jeffrey Epstein’s files, claiming the president screamed at her to protect his “friends” from exposure.
The Phone Call That Broke the Alliance
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s 7,600-word New York Times profile reads like a political divorce filing. The Georgia congresswoman detailed a explosive phone conversation where Trump allegedly erupted over her push to name Jeffrey Epstein’s abusers. Witnesses in her Capitol Hill office heard Trump’s voice booming through the speakerphone as he dismissed her proposal to invite survivors to the Oval Office.
Greene framed her position as a “faith-based reckoning” after hearing survivors’ testimonies in closed-door House Oversight hearings. She told the Times these credible accounts of abuse by powerful elites transformed her perspective entirely. The congresswoman positioned Epstein as representing “everything wrong with Washington” – a symbol of elite impunity that victimizes the powerless.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act Becomes Law
The legislative timeline reveals rare bipartisan momentum that Trump couldn’t ignore. On November 18, the House passed Greene’s Epstein Files Transparency Act by an overwhelming 427-1 margin. The Senate followed with unanimous approval the next day, forcing Trump to sign the measure into law despite his apparent reservations about protecting unnamed associates.
The law mandated the Department of Justice release all Epstein-related files within 30 days – a December 19 deadline that came and went without full compliance. Greene’s post-passage news conference threatening to name abusers publicly triggered Trump’s angry call, according to her account. The exchange revealed a fundamental split between transparency advocates and those prioritizing loyalty to potentially compromised allies.
DOJ Delays Fuel Victim Outrage
The Justice Department’s handling of the file releases validates Greene’s suspicions about Washington’s protective instincts. Despite the clear statutory deadline, DOJ announced on December 24 that full release would take “a few more weeks.” The partial releases contained thousands of pages but featured heavy redactions that victims’ advocates condemned as inadequate.
Nineteen Epstein survivors accused DOJ of legal violations on December 22, citing “extreme redactions” that shield abusers while leaving victim identities exposed. This backwards approach – protecting perpetrators while endangering victims – exemplifies the elite protection racket Greene claims to oppose. The victims’ statement alleged these redactions cause “real harm” to those seeking justice.
White House Pushes Back Against Greene’s Claims
Trump’s team dismissed Greene’s explosive allegations as sour grapes from a potentially departing congresswoman. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle characterized her comments as “petty bitterness” and defended Trump as the “leader of the MAGA movement.” The response avoided addressing the specific claims about protecting Epstein associates, instead attacking Greene’s loyalty and commitment to serving her constituents.
Greene’s consideration of leaving Congress mid-term adds weight to her willingness to burn bridges with Trump. Politicians rarely torch relationships with powerful allies unless they’re planning their exit strategy. Her detailed account, corroborated by staff witnesses and building on previous 60 Minutes statements, suggests someone unburdened by future political calculations and focused on a larger moral crusade.
Sources:
Straight Arrow News – “My friends will get hurt” Trump yelled at Greene over Epstein files
iHeart – MTG makes serious claim about Trump’s reaction to naming Epstein abusers