At a Tuesday news conference outside the U.S. Capitol with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, and Ro Khanna pressed a bipartisan push to release government files on Epstein. Responding to Donald Trump calling her a “traitor,” Greene tossed the label back at him while defending her role in forcing a House vote.
Lawmakers and several Epstein survivors gathered Tuesday in Washington to urge passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan House bill led by Rep. Ro Khanna (D‑CA) with key support from Rep. Thomas Massie (R‑KY). Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R‑GA) joined the event, which focused on forcing the Justice Department to make Epstein‑related records public with protections for victims. Coverage by multiple outlets showed Khanna, Massie, and Greene speaking alongside survivors at the Capitol. (cbsnews.com)
Greene, answering Trump’s attacks on her, said she had backed him for “five — no, actually six — years,” adding that she “never owed him anything” and fought for his policies and the “America First” agenda. She framed the “traitor” label in her own terms: “A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries and themselves. A patriot is an American that serves the United States of America and Americans like the women standing behind me.” Those comments were made at Tuesday’s event, according to the Daily Wire’s on‑scene report. (dailywire.com)
Greene also predicted the House would “probably” vote unanimously to release the files and warned “the real fight will happen after that,” crediting public pressure for the momentum. The House later approved the measure in a 427–1 vote on Nov. 18. (dailywire.com)
Trump escalated his criticism over the weekend, posting on Truth Social: “Wacky Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Brown (Remember, Green turns to Brown where there is ROT involved!)… The fact is, nobody cares about this Traitor to our Country!” He also urged Republicans to vote to release the Epstein files, writing Sunday night that “we have nothing to hide.” Those statements were echoed across multiple outlets and in pro‑Trump media summaries. (foxnews.com)
A White House spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, argued the administration had done “more for the victims than Democrats ever have,” a line reported by NewsNation and aggregated by Yahoo. (The administration has not released a verbatim transcript of Jackson’s remarks.) (yahoo.com)
The three lawmakers have, at times, broken with Trump. Reuters reported Massie was the lone House Republican to vote against a Feb. 25 budget blueprint advancing Trump’s tax and border agenda and later opposed a March stopgap spending bill Trump supported; the president publicly threatened to back a primary challenge against him. (reuters.com)
Greene has criticized Trump’s Iran policy and recent immigration posture. After June strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, she warned on Bannon’s program that the U.S. was “entering a nuclear war,” remarks covered by Newsweek and other outlets; she has also rebuked Trump’s defense of high‑skill visas and pushed legislation to phase out H‑1B, saying mass deportations alone are not a “smarter plan” — comments reported by KPBS and Yahoo. (newsweek.com)
Khanna, for his part, has accused Trump of trying to influence the Federal Reserve, telling Meet the Press that Trump was “following Richard Nixon’s playbook to interfere with the Fed,” as summarized by Reuters. (reuters.com)
Trump has returned fire at both. Beyond Sunday’s “traitor” post aimed at Greene, he has mocked her political prospects — claiming he showed her a poll putting her at 12% for higher office — and said he would support a primary against Massie, according to Trump’s own social posts and subsequent reporting. (dailywire.com)
