Marjorie Taylor Greene says Epstein files secrecy 'shattered' MAGA base and public trust in govt

WASHINGTON, DC: Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene claims the controversy surrounding the long-awaited Epstein files has fractured the MAGA movement.

In an interview with conservative commentator Tomi Lahren on her eponymous show 'Tomi Lahren Is Fearless,' Greene argued that keeping details related to convicted t*afficker associate Ghislaine Maxwell under wraps has only deepened public suspicion. 

Marjorie Taylor Greene demands release of Epstein files

Pressed by Lahren on whether there could be legitimate reasons for withholding information, Greene dismissed the notion outright.

"Why do you think that there's been a hesitation, not only by maybe this administration, but previous administrations, to just put it all out? Are there legitimate concerns about putting it all out? Do you see some of the reasoning behind maybe not dumping them all at once or in totality? Is there something there that you think gives a little bit of justification for that?" Lahren asked.

“No, I don't give them any justification at all. I don't give anyone in the government a reason for keeping this covered up,” Greene said. She pointed to the scope of alleged crimes connected to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. “We're looking at around 1,200 women who were victims. We're talking about the r*pe of teenage girls, t*afficking. That's what Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of. Well, that's not a one-way crime, right? Who were they t*afficked to? So there's many more people implicated,” Greene said.

Greene noted that transparency around the files had been a cornerstone campaign issue among conservatives for years.

“To me, the biggest thing is it should have never been a fight in the first place. This was a campaign promise. We all campaigned on it,” she said. “People in the administration said it over and over again, release the Epstein files. President Trump talked about it back in 2015. I've supported him since early on. He talked about it since 2015. Don Jr, everybody, Charlie Kirk, everybody was released Epstein files. Ironically, no Democrats were, but all of us were.”

MTG details clash with Trump over Epstein files

Greene revealed that disagreements over the files spilled into a direct conflict with President Donald Trump.

“And here it turned into a fight where the president yelled at me, was angry at me, told me that his friends would get hurt,” she said. “And that's why he wanted me to take my name off that discharge petition. And I told him, absolutely not. This is a moral line in the sand. And this is what ended up with him calling me a traitor and saying that he would primary me.”

Greene also criticized House Republican leadership, saying Speaker Mike Johnson resisted efforts to bring the matter to a vote.

“Our speaker of the house, Mike Johnson, was fighting us to get this vote to the floor to the point where we had to work with Democrats,” Greene said. “We should have never had to work with Democrats. This was the easiest thing for our Republican majority to do without the Democrats because they didn't care about it.”

She added that Democrats eventually seized on the talking point.

“They clearly never cared about it until it became a political scoreboard for them. And now it was mishandled so poorly that here they are, they're taking victory laps that they don't even deserve," Greene insisted. 

MTG warns Epstein fallout hurting MAGA base

The Georgia Republican argued the fallout from the Epstein controversy has fractured Republican unity and weakened the party’s standing with swing voters.

“And I think it's been the biggest political miscalculation, but it has also shattered MAGA and caused us to lose the independent vote that we, oh my goodness, that's how we won the midterms,” she said.

Lahren pressed Greene on whether the Epstein files alone could sway independent voters.

“There's a couple of key things, but I think that is a big one. Nothing's on its own in isolation, but Epstein files are a big one,” Greene responded. She also cited economic pressures, housing affordability, and health care costs as mounting frustrations among voters. Greene blamed Democratic policies for worsening health insurance challenges while also faulting Republicans for failing to offer a viable alternative.

She then criticized what she described as a growing focus on foreign conflicts.

“People care about what affects their lives, but then turning to foreign wars when we said no more foreign wars, no more regime change,” Greene said. “And we've seen that to be a highlight of the Trump administration over the past year, and possibly on the verge of a war with Iran. Americans don't care.”

Despite warning signs for Republicans, Greene suggested Democrats have not gained considerable enthusiasm from voters either.

“And independents, I mean, clearly in polling, it's showing that we have lost them big time, but I don't think people want to vote for Democrats either,” she said. “I mean, who would want to vote for Democrats? It's insane.”