Former MAGA loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene twists the knife on Trump by branding him a 'traitor' over Epstein

By JAMES GORDON, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 05:52, 11 June 2026 | Updated: 05:53, 11 June 2026 Marjorie Taylor Greene branded Donald Trump a 'traitor' for refusing to release the Epstein files because 'his friends would get hurt.'  The former MAGA firebrand said Trump was betraying his promise of transparency with voters, an issue that helped propel him back to the White House. The ex-congresswoman also suggested he personally worked to prevent sensitive files from becoming public. The comments from Taylor Greene came after she posted a video on X that teased a 'series' that was critical of the president.  Appearing on CNN's The Source with Kaitlan Collins, the anchor brought up a newly reported account from an upcoming book by New York Times reporters that described intense internal White House deliberations over the Epstein files. Greene said she was not surprised by reports that the issue consumed senior administration officials. Marjorie Taylor Greene stopped short of explicitly calling Trump a traitor by name, but agreed the term applied to those blocking the Epstein files and applied to the president himself Greene said on CNN that Donald Trump told her 'his friends would get hurt' if the Epstein files were released According to Greene, she personally experienced the controversy from inside Republican circles and claimed House business was effectively frozen as efforts were made to prevent action related to the files. 'I'm not surprised by this news because I also had a very uncomfortable phone call with the president before the release of the Epstein files, where he told me that his friends would get hurt if the files were released,' Greene said. 'I'll never forget that.' Greene also alleged Trump sent her a text message after threats were made against her son over her push to release the files. 'I'll also never forget the text message he sent me when I told him that my son's life was being threatened because he was calling me a traitor because I fought to release Epstein files where he told me that I deserved it,' she said. The former congresswoman then launched into a blistering attack on those she believes opposed releasing the records. 'We're talking about pedophiles and rapists of the elite class of people that never get held accountable for anything,' Greene said. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene accuses President Trump of being a traitor. "I'm saying exactly that..."I mean, it's pretty remarkable to hear you say that you think the president is a traitor.MTG: "What is remarkable to me is that this administration, people that we… pic.twitter.com/fW9ztbKR3U Greene claimed Trump personally fought against releasing the Epstein files, saying his position contradicted his promises of transparency and to 'drain the swamp'. Epstein and Trump in 1997 Greene was once one of Trump's most outspoken allies in Congress, making her sharp criticism of the president all the more striking Greene has publicly sided with Democrats when it comes to transparency over Jeffrey Epstein  'If they were paralyzed and scared and didn't know what to do about releasing the Epstein files, these people are absolutely absurd. They don't deserve the American people's trust.' She then escalated her criticism even further. 'As a matter of fact, we should consider them as, they should be considered traitors. They're traitors,' Greene said. 'The ones that refuse to release Epstein files want to cover up for pedophiles and rapists and all sorts of disgusting things in these files.' When Collins pressed her directly, noting that reports suggested Trump himself opposed releasing the material, Greene left little doubt about where she stood. 'I'm saying exactly that,' she replied. 'He told me on the phone that his friends would get hurt, and that's why he's against releasing the Epstein files.' Collins then pointed out the significance of Greene's comments. 'I mean, it's pretty remarkable to hear you say that, that you think the president is a traitor,' the CNN anchor observed. Greene responded by accusing Trump of abandoning one of the core promises that energized his supporters.  Greene is seen here alongside Trump in a 2022 photo - in happier times 'What is remarkable to me is that this administration, people that we voted for demanding transparency, the man that campaigned all over the country claiming that he would be the one to drain the swamp, is the very man that fought to keep the Epstein files from being released,' Greene said. She also pushed back against critics who have accused her of abandoning the political movement she once championed. 'I'm not a Democrat. Nothing changed about my views,' Greene said. 'I'm unapologetically America first.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.