Did Epstein Files spark Trump–MTG rift? Greene makes explosive claim, says president warned, 'my friends will get hurt'

In the New York Times Magazine profile, outgoing U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG) has claimed that President Donald Trump once yelled at her on speakerphone after she threatened to disclose names linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's criminal network.

Trump allegedly warned her, saying, “ My friends will get hurt.”

Greene told journalist Robert Draper in a comprehensive new profile for The New York Times that details the longtime MAGA ally's breakup with her former leader that Trump was probably irritated by her minor arguments with him throughout the year, "but it was Epstein" that caused the final rift between them. "Epstein was everything."

Read more: Trump didn't want Epstein files released? MTG's huge claim amid resignation row

Greene claims that after speaking with victims face-to-face during a closed House Oversight Committee hearing in September, her advocacy for accountability on behalf of Epstein survivors intensified.

“The Epstein files represent everything wrong with Washington,” Greene told the Times for the December 29 profile, which was based on multiple interviews with the outgoing Republican congresswoman.

She added, “Rich, powerful elites doing horrible things and getting away with it. And the women are the victims.”

The Times, which learned of the contact via Greene and one of her employees, claims that Trump called her Capitol Hill office to express his dissatisfaction with her public support of the cause. According to her employee, he was shouting at her on speakerphone, and the entire company could hear it.

Greene also mentioned that he was dismissive of her calls to invite survivors to the Oval Office to show support, to which he said that they “had not done anything to merit the honor.” Greene says this was their last meaningful conversation before they effectively ceased communication.

Read more: Does Trump want Marjorie Taylor Greene to return to politics? 'I'd love to see…'

Greene teamed with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, including Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna. Lawmakers pushed to advance the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which compelled the Department of Justice to release related case files.

On November 18, the Epstein Files Transparency Act was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate after passing the House in a sweeping 427-1 vote with Greene's help.

After the December 29 interview of Greene was published, PEOPLE reached out to the White House for a comment on the same. The White House dismissed the comments as “petty bitterness.”

White House spokesperson David Ingle said, “ President Trump remains the undisputed leader of the greatest and fastest growing political movement in American history, the MAGA movement.” He further discredited MTG, saying, "On the other hand, Congresswoman Greene is quitting on her constituents in the middle of her term and abandoning the consequential fight we’re in. We don’t have time for her petty bitterness."

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