Trump team hurls wild accusation against GOP former ally: 'May have tipped off protestors'
President Donald Trump’s team leveled a colossal accusation against former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one they said was serious enough to contact the U.S. Secret Service, Axios reported Friday.
Last September, Trump made a planned visit to a Washington, D.C. restaurant only to be confronted by anti-war protestors, an incident that reportedly left him “rattled” enough to scrap future "surprise pop-ins” indefinitely. And, according to two sources on Trump’s team that spoke with Axios under the condition of anonymity, it was Greene, they alleged, that tipped off the protestors of Trump’s planned visit.
The sources told Axios that they had told the Secret Service about their hunch that Greene was behind the confrontation, though it's unclear whether the agency launched any investigation into the former lawmaker. They did not provide “direct evidence” of their hunch, but did provide Axios with three points they say raised suspicion.
“Officials say that after recommending the president go to Joe's [Seafood], Greene repeatedly called White House staffers the day of the dinner to confirm he was going,” Axios’ report reads.
“After Trump heard about Greene's calls, he called her shortly before leaving the White House and confirmed his planned visit, the sources said. Greene – who was a regular at the restaurant – didn't show up there when Trump and other officials were there, which struck some Trump aides as odd.”
The anti-war group, Code Pink, denied the accusation in a statement to Axios, with Code Pink spokesperson Melissa Garriga telling the outlet that “that absolutely did not happen, to the point it is comical.”
Greene also denied the accusation, calling it a “dangerous lie,” and attacked Axios for having published its report.
Greene was once among Trump’s most loyal supporters, though their relationship soured last fall due in part to Greene’s persistence on forcing the Trump administration to release its files on Jeffrey Epstein. Trump would ultimately pull his endorsement of Greene, which itself was followed by her announcement that she would be resigning from Congress.