Congresswoman Greene claims Trump making an ?example? of her to scare fellow Republicans ahead of vote on release of Epstein files.

United States President Donald Trump has said he is withdrawing his support for Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling the lawmaker a ?lunatic? and accusing her of going ?far left?.

In a post on his Truth Social platform late on Friday, Trump said, ?I am withdrawing my support and endorsement of ?Congresswoman? Marjorie Taylor Greene, of the great state of Georgia.?

The US leader, labelling Greene ?wacky?, said all the lawmaker did was ?COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN?, despite his ?record achievements? in office.

Greene, a member of the House of Representatives, has long been a reliable ally and fierce defender of Trump, even sporting a Make America Great Again (MAGA) baseball hat at President Joe Biden?s 2024 State of the Union address.

But in recent months, she has taken positions at odds with the White House and her fellow Republicans, including criticising them during the just-ended federal government shutdown, saying the Trump administration needed a plan to help people set to lose health insurance subsidies as part of planned cuts.

More notably, Greene has also become a vocal campaigner for transparency and the full release of files related to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein ? a recurrent scandal that continues to engulf President Trump.

Greene responded to Trump?s announcement on Friday with screenshots of a text message she sent the president about the Epstein case, claiming it ?sent him over the edge?.

?It?s astonishing really how hard he?s fighting to stop the Epstein files from coming out that he actually goes to this level,? she wrote on X.

?Most Americans wish he would fight this hard to help the forgotten men and women of America who are fed up with foreign wars and foreign causes, are going broke trying to feed their families, and are losing hope of ever achieving the American dream,? she said.

Greene also claimed Trump is going after her ?hard to make an example to scare all the other Republicans before next week?s vote to release the Epstein files?.

On Wednesday, House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said the body will hold a vote next week on whether to force the Department of Justice to disclose all files related to Epstein ? who died by suicide in prison in 2019.

It came as a result of the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act ? a discharge petition allowing a majority of lawmakers to bypass the House leadership and force a vote on the issue ? which was signed by Greene and three other House Republicans.

If backed, the measure would force the release of flight logs and travel records, individuals named or referenced in connection with the Epstein investigation, and materials related to Epstein?s former girlfriend and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.

How well did Trump know Epstein and Maxwell?

Trump has faced growing scrutiny over his alleged ties to the disgraced financier, most recently on Wednesday, when Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released new emails appearing to further link the pair.

In one email, Epstein told Maxwell that Trump had ?spent hours? at his house with one abuse victim. The White House claimed the communications ?prove nothing?.

Trump has repeatedly urged his supporters to move on from the scandal, labelling suggestions that there is an Epstein client list with his name on it a ?hoax? pushed by his Democratic opponents.

In an interview on Friday, Greene labelled Trump?s resistance to releasing the files a ?huge miscalculation?, adding that she does not believe he has anything to hide.

Trump made no mention of the Epstein issue in his post disowning Greene, claiming the schism between the pair began when he discouraged her from running for senator or governor due to low polling numbers.

?She has told many people that she is upset that I don?t return her phone calls any more, but with 219 Congressmen/women, 53 US Senators, 24 Cabinet Members, almost 200 Countries, and an otherwise normal life to lead, I can?t take a ranting Lunatic ?s call every day,? Trump said.

Trump continued that Republicans in Georgia are ?fed up with her and her antics? and should they find an alternative to run at the next midterms, that candidate will have his ?complete and unyielding support?. (Aljazeera)

Update news