Marjorie Taylor Greene is not holding back when it comes to the White House’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case. The rift between the MAGA Congresswoman and the Trump administration has widened after an official reportedly told her that her support for bipartisan legislation aimed at releasing the so-called Epstein files would be seen as a “very hostile act.”
Greene is one of four Republicans, along with Thomas Massie, Nancy Mace, and Lauren Boebert, who have signed a discharge petition to force the release of files related to Epstein.
If enough members sign the petition, they can push for a vote, bypassing the need for leadership’s consent. “I told them, ‘You didn’t get me elected. I do not work for you; I work for my district,'” Greene told The New York Times.
The outspoken representative was quick to push back when a White House aide allegedly made the threat. She contacted the aide to protest, saying, “We aren’t supposed to just be whipping on our votes because they’re telling us what to do with this scary threat, or saying, ‘We’ll primary you,’ or that we won’t get invited to White House events.”
And Greene didn’t mince her words when it came to the pressure tactics. “Me personally? I don’t care,” she said, adding, “When I encounter these tactics from Trump’s team, I’m like, ‘[Expletive] you'”, reported the Independent.
The discharge petition could lead to a vote as soon as the newest member of Congress, Adelita Grijalva from Arizona, is sworn in. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told The Independent that the vote could come as early as Monday. As of now, all Democratic members of Congress have signed the petition, joined by the four Republican representatives, bringing the total to 216 votes.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called an early recess for the House in August after Democrats tried to force amendments to release Epstein-related files through the House Rules Committee. Since then, Democrat James Walkinshaw won a special election in Virginia’s 11th district to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, and he immediately added his name to the petition.
While Democrats are hoping the release of the Epstein files could work in their favour, conservatives have long demanded that major Democratic figures, like former President Bill Clinton, be included in what they call Epstein’s “client list.”
Trump, who had previously pledged to release the “Epstein files” during his second term campaign, has since distanced himself from the late financier, who was once a close friend.
The Justice Department and FBI caused an uproar with a memo claiming there was no “client list” and that Epstein died in prison. Trump later dismissed efforts to release the files as “total bulls***,” and when many of Epstein’s survivors visited Capitol Hill, he called the entire matter a “Democrat hoax that never ends.”
Meanwhile, the Republican-led House committee subpoenaed the Justice Department last month for records related to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein’s crimes.
On Friday, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a new batch of documents from Epstein’s estate, including meeting schedules showing appointments with figures like Trump ally Steve Bannon, Prince Andrew, and venture capitalist Peter Thiel.