MTG claps back at Trump after president says only ‘stupid’ Republicans care about the Epstein files – UK Times

President Donald Trump is engaging in a “huge miscalculation” by dismissing the bipartisan group of lawmakers pushing the government to release more of the Jeffrey Epstein files, according to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the latest reminder of her growing status as a Trump critic inside the GOP.

Greene, speaking with CBS Mornings on Friday, reiterated her belief that the president did not engage in any wrongdoing during his friendship with the late sex offender, but said she felt the White House has been wrong in dismissing Republicans seeking more information as “stupid.”

“Just being very honest with you, it’s something that I don’t understand,” the MAGA rep said, arguing that releasing more Epstein information sends a powerful message that the government “will not protect the predators,” even if they are tied to rich and influential people.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

“Democrats and the mainstream media are desperately trying to use this hoax as a distraction to talk about anything other than Democrats getting utterly defeated by President Trump in the shutdown fight,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said when asked about Greene’s comments.

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The president has called the Epstein scandal a “hoax” while directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate his ties to prominent Democrats.

Greene isn’t the only one pushing the administration to do more.

With the House back in session, a group of lawmakers, including a small handful of GOP-ers, have pushed forward an effort to force a vote on releasing more Epstein files.

The House will take up the vote next week.

The White House, which has consistently denied any allegations that Trump engaged wrongdoing, is under even further pressure on Epstein because Congress released a trove of emails where the late sex offender claimed Trump “knew about the girls” he was recruiting.

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Greene, who supports the discharge petition effort on Epstein, has emerged as a rare voice inside the party who will directly criticize the president on a host of topics.

In recent days, she has hammered the administration for what she sees as too much emphasis on foreign trips and diplomacy and not enough focus on persistent affordability issues.

“No one cares about the foreign countries,” Greene recently told NBC News. “No one cares about the never-ending amount of foreign leaders coming to the White House every single week.”

In the face of these criticisms, Trump has brushed off the former ally.

“She’s a nice woman, but I don’t know what happened,” he said earlier this week. “She’s lost her way, I think.”

The congresswoman has also taken aim at fellow Republicans for allowing Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire, a major sticking point in the recent government shutdown negotiations.

Greene has called healthcare costs a “five-alarm fire“ for the party.

The legislator, once better known for her attention-getting style and embrace of conspiracy theories, has in recent months redirected her energies toward issues including the Israel-Hamas war, criticizing the U.S.-backed conflict for the high civilian death toll in Gaza.

Amid the flurry of recent criticisms, some have speculated Greene is plotting a presidential run for 2028, when Republicans will be seeking a new standard bearer after Trump hits his two-term limit.

Greene has dismissed such speculation as “baseless rumors.”