The White House alerted the Secret Service that former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene may have tipped off protesters ahead of President Donald Trump's unannounced appearance at a Washington, D.C., restaurant last fall, Axios reported Friday.
Trump was confronted by Code Pink protesters inside Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab in September, a restaurant Greene recommended, according to the report.
The protesters got within a few feet of Trump's table, raising security concerns and prompting questions about how they knew the president would be there.
The incident marked a "point of no return" in Trump's relationship with Greene, a one-time Republican ally who had become a staunch critic, the report said.
Greene denied the claim, telling Axios that any suggestion she revealed Trump's dinner plans was "an absolute lie — a dangerous lie. I would never do that."
It's unclear if Greene, whose last day in Congress was Jan. 5, is being investigated by the Secret Service.
Trump's Sept. 9 visit to Joe's, alongside Vice President JD Vance and several Cabinet members, was intended to showcase improved safety on Washington streets after his decision to deploy the National Guard.
Code Pink protesters managed to get within feet of Trump's table, chanting slogans including "Free D.C.," "Free Palestine," and "Trump is the Hitler of our time."
In the weeks that followed, Trump aides worked to determine how the group learned of the president's unannounced dinner plans, which had been shared with only a small circle.
The media was not notified in advance of the outing, Axios said.
Adding to the suspicion, officials said that after recommending the president dine at Joe's, Greene repeatedly called White House staffers on the day of the dinner to confirm he was going, Axios reported.
After Trump was told about Greene's calls, he personally called her shortly before leaving the White House to confirm his plans, the report said.
Greene — a regular at the restaurant — did not appear at Joe's while Trump and other officials were there, a detail some Trump aides said they found unusual, according to the report.
Further, Greene is friends with Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin.
In fact, Benjamin and other Code Pink members later met with Greene after she announced in November that she would resign from Congress midway through her third term.
"I have enjoyed a friendship with Medea for a few years now even though politics says that's not allowed," Greene said in a December post to X.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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