Hillary Clinton Challenges Trump
Hillary Clinton asserted she had no connection to Jeffrey Epstein, while simultaneously challenging the Committee to subpoena President Donald Trump to clarify details within the Epstein documents.
During six hours of closed-door testimony, Hillary Clinton denied all links to Jeffrey Epstein and contended that the investigation is being politicized.
Calling for the Questioning of Trump
In a statement released while participating in a closed-door hearing before the House Oversight Committee in Chappaqua, New York, on February 26 (local time), Hillary Clinton stated clearly: “I do not recall ever meeting Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane, nor did I ever go to his island, his residence, or his office. I have nothing further to add.”
Hillary Clinton—the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate—simultaneously accused the Republican-controlled committee of seeking to divert attention away from the connection between President Donald Trump and Epstein, according to Reuters.
She also criticized the Trump administration for “undermining” an office within the State Department dedicated to handling international human trafficking issues.
“If this Committee is truly serious about finding the truth regarding Epstein’s crimes, then they should require Mr. Trump to go directly under oath and explain his appearance in the Epstein records thousands of times,” Hillary Clinton declared, effectively challenging the sitting American leader.
Initially, Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, refused to testify, but they agreed after lawmakers initiated procedures to consider contempt of Congress charges. Bill Clinton is expected to testify on February 27.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) rejected allegations that the investigation was partisan-motivated, noting that several Democratic lawmakers also called for the Clintons to testify. “At this time, no one is accusing the Clintons of wrongdoing, but we have many questions that need clarification,” he said.
According to Mr. Comer, the committee wants to determine whether Hillary Clinton ever interacted with Epstein, Epstein’s role in charitable activities related to the Clinton family, as well as her relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell—Epstein’s associate currently serving a prison sentence. He stated that the transcript of the Clintons’ testimony would be made public.
Representative Robert Garcia, the top-ranking Democrat on the committee, argued that President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick should also testify.
Mr. Lutnick admitted to visiting Epstein’s private island years after saying he had cut ties. Mr. Comer stated that the possibility of subpoenaing Mr. Lutnick is “likely.”
The “Vanished” Files
Mr. Garcia and fellow Democratic lawmakers accused the U.S. Department of Justice of being selective and failing to release the entirety of the 3 million pages of Epstein-related records to avoid disadvantaging Mr. Trump.
According to Mr. Garcia, among the withheld documents is the file of a woman alleging that Mr. Trump once sexually assaulted her when she was a minor. “Where are those files? Who removed them? These questions need to be answered,” he emphasized.
In Washington, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer stated that some lawmakers would review unredacted documents and request that the Department of Justice preserve records related to the handling of the case.
The U.S. Department of Justice stated it is reviewing whether any documents were inappropriately withheld and will release them if necessary. The agency previously warned that some released content includes unverified allegations and sensational information regarding Mr. Trump.
Law enforcement agencies have not accused Mr. Trump of criminal behavior in the Epstein case. Mr. Trump socialized with Epstein during the 1990s and 2000s, before Epstein was convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution. Mr. Comer stated that the evidence gathered by the committee does not show Mr. Trump was involved in misconduct.
Bill Clinton flew on Epstein’s private jet several times in the early 2000s after leaving office. He has denied any wrongdoing and expressed regret over the acquaintance. According to Mr. Comer, Epstein visited the White House 17 times during Mr. Clinton’s tenure.
The Department of Justice’s document release included many images of Bill Clinton, but also showed that Epstein had relationships with a range of businesspeople and politicians, including Mr. Lutnick and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Abroad, these documents have also sparked criminal investigations into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Duke of York, along with several other prominent figures.
Hillary Clinton says she answered every question on Epstein and decries GOP for keeping deposition private
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defiantly faced lawmakers Thursday who sought to question her about her family’s past ties to Jeffrey Epstein, insisting that she had no information about the late convicted sex offender’s criminal activities and blasting Republicans for conducting the interview in private.
Emerging after six-and-a-half hours with House Oversight Committee lawmakers behind closed doors, Clinton said she had “answered every one of their questions as fully as I could based on what I knew.” She stressed she had never met Epstein nor had communications with him.
“I don’t know how many times I had to say, ‘I did not know Jeffrey Epstein,’” she told reporters.
Clinton said she knew Ghislaine Maxwell – who was convicted in connection with Epstein’s crimes – “casually as an acquaintance,” and that Maxwell “came as the plus one, the guest, of someone who was invited” to her daughter Chelsea Clinton’s 2010 wedding.
And the former secretary of state criticized the GOP for having “refused to hold a public hearing,” forcing her to describe what had happened for members of the media afterward.
The deposition – which took place in New York, near where Hillary Clinton lives with former President Bill Clinton – is one of the highest-profile interviews yet in the Republican-led committee’s investigation into Epstein. It comes after both Clintons vigorously resisted testifying in what they denounced as a Republican plot against them, only to reverse course when faced with the prospect of being held in criminal contempt of Congress. Bill Clinton is set to testify Friday.
From its beginning, the deposition was a rancorous, partisan affair. In her opening statement, Clinton asked lawmakers why the Republican-led committee had not questioned others with ties to Epstein, including President Donald Trump. Later, the proceedings had to be paused briefly after conservative podcaster Benny Johnson posted a photo from the ongoing interview on X – which Democrats asserted was a violation of House rules. The image, Johnson said, was provided by Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert.
“I admired her blue suit,” the congresswoman quipped to reporters during a break in the proceeding.
Speaking to reporters during that break, Democrats blasted Republicans over the episode and called for members of the media to be allowed in the deposition room.
“We are sitting through an incredibly unserious clown show of a deposition where members of Congress and the Republican Party are more concerned about getting their photo op of Secretary Clinton than actually getting to the truth and holding anyone accountable,” Arizona Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari said.
Clinton called the incident “very upsetting.”
While the deposition was not conducted publicly, Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said he would try to release video of it within the next 24 hours. The Kentucky Republican said the discussion was “productive” and that he “learned a lot,” but that Hillary Clinton frequently referred questions to her husband, saying, “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask my husband” more than a dozen times.
“We have a lot of questions for her husband tomorrow,” Comer said.
Asked by CNN whether she was confident her husband had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, Hillary Clinton responded, “I am.” That relationship, she said, “ended several years before anything about Epstein’s criminal activities came to light.”
Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, said Clinton was “completely cooperating with the deposition and the committee, and is answering questions in full faith and in good faith.” He declined to provide specifics, imploring Republicans to quickly release the full video of the deposition.
Republicans have insisted the Clintons’ testimony is vital to their probe, and noted that neither Bill nor Hillary had answered detailed inquiries about their ties to Epstein.
“It is a bipartisan investigation. The American people have a lot of questions. To my knowledge, the Clintons haven’t answered very many if any questions about their knowledge or involvement with Epstein and Maxwell,” Comer said.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina said at a press briefing after the deposition that Clinton “took every question from every single member.” During the interview, she asked Clinton a number of questions about her husband, including whether the former first lady had any feelings about young women massaging him, according to a source who watched the deposition. Clinton responded she would not speculate about events for which she was not present and was not there to discuss feelings.
Bill Clinton has never been accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing related to Epstein, and a spokesperson has repeatedly said he cut ties before Epstein’s arrest on federal charges in 2019 and was unaware of any crimes.
A CNN review showed the former president traveled on Epstein’s private plane at least 16 times, and he was pictured in Epstein case files released by the Justice Department with women in a jacuzzi, as well as with Maxwell.
Hillary Clinton was accompanied Thursday by her attorneys, who have been working through painstaking details of what areas could be covered during questioning.
Even the location for the depositions, the Clintons’ hometown of Chappaqua, was negotiated between Clinton lawyer David Kendall and Comer in hopes of avoiding the indignity and precedent-setting move of summoning a former president to Capitol Hill for questioning.
The former first lady arrived out of direct sight of the gaggle of reporters who had gathered in front of the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center. But the two images of Clinton flanked by her attorneys that surfaced on social media during the proceeding briefly ground the deposition to a halt, with Democratic lawmakers accusing their Republican colleagues of breaking their own rules.
The Clintons and members of the House Oversight Committee agreed to five topic areas for the depositions, a person familiar with the agreement told CNN. They were:
- alleged mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation into Epstein and Maxwell;
- the circumstances and subsequent investigations of Epstein’s 2019 death;
- the ways the federal government could effectively combat sex-trafficking rings;
- how Epstein and Maxwell sought to curry favor to protect their illegal activities;
- and potential violations of ethics rules related to elected officials.
Survivors of Epstein’s abuse and lawyers representing them told CNN that they believe it is important for the Clintons, and especially the former president, to testify. In interviews, they stressed that the presence of an individual in the Epstein files and their cooperation with Congress does not indicate wrongdoing.
Hillary Clinton said that toward the end of the hearing, GOP lawmakers inquired about UFOs and “Pizzagate,” a conspiracy theory that gained traction in the final days before the 2016 US presidential election that centered on a pedophilia ring supposedly being run out of a Washington, DC, pizza shop.
The questioning, she said, was “quite unusual.”
This headline and story have been updated with additional developments.
A Life of Hardship for Her Husband: The Story of Hillary Clinton
The former U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has just had to provide testimony in the Jeffrey Epstein case, continuing to face pressure from her husband’s complex relationships spanning three decades.
On February 26, Hillary Clinton faced sensitive questions during a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee in Chappaqua, New York. This is part of an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein—the sex offender who once had a close relationship with Bill Clinton.
On February 27, Mr. Clinton also provided testimony, becoming the first former president forced to testify in a Congressional investigation. Mrs. Clinton’s appearance drew significant attention because, after eight years in the Senate, four years as Secretary of State, and two presidential campaigns, she seemingly still cannot escape the whirlwind of her partner’s troubles.
Patti Solis Doyle, a former senior advisor to Mrs. Clinton, expressed her resentment: “It is heartbreaking that a global icon and a pioneer for women like her has to endure these troubles, despite having no involvement.”
Repeating the Script from 34 Years Ago
On January 26, 1992, Hillary Clinton once sat on a sofa, joining her husband to face questioning about their marriage after former broadcaster Gennifer Flowers claimed to have had a 12-year romantic affair with Bill Clinton. At that time, he was the Governor of Arkansas running for president.
In the famous 60 Minutes interview on CBS, Hillary’s fierce reaction saved her husband’s career and simultaneously shaped her image for the next 30 years. “I’m sitting here because I love him, and I respect him, and I honor what he’s been through and what we’ve been through together. And you know, if that’s not enough, then heck, don’t vote for him,” Mrs. Clinton declared.
More than 34 years later, she finds herself in a similar situation. Records show that Mr. Clinton flew on Epstein’s private plane several times during the 2002–2003 period. Conversely, Mrs. Clinton asserted she does not recall ever speaking with Epstein and only met his associates a few times. During the time her husband interacted with Epstein’s group, she was busy with her role as a senator.
Although her name appears in more than 700 Epstein-related files, the majority are merely news articles about the 2016 campaign shared by others. Instead of drawing boundaries, the Clintons chose to hire a shared legal team and fight the subpoenas together.
Longtime advisor Philippe Reines observed: “They face attacks as a unified bloc to fight back together.”
The Reflex to Protect the Family
After decades of public activity, protecting one another has become a natural reflex for the Clinton family. In the past, when Mr. Clinton was embroiled in the scandal with intern Monica Lewinsky, Hillary dismissed the allegations, calling them a “vast right-wing conspiracy.” When he faced impeachment, she continued to appear by his side to block calls for his resignation.
Many Democrats are skeptical of the purpose behind questioning Mrs. Clinton this time. Representative Kweisi Mfume argued that including the former Secretary of State on the interrogation list was intended solely to humiliate her.
At the Munich Security Conference last week, Mrs. Clinton supported the release of the full case documents but emphasized the unfairness of the investigative body allowing other witnesses to submit written statements instead of forcing them to testify in person like her and her husband.
“They are dragging us into this just to distract public opinion. There is nothing complicated about this,” she asserted.
Hillary Attacks Trump During Testimony Regarding Pedophile Billionaire Epstein
Hillary Clinton denied any involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, while simultaneously demanding that President Trump testify regarding his connections to the pedophile billionaire.
In a hearing before the House Oversight Committee on February 26, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that she “knew nothing about Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal behavior, had no recollection of ever meeting him, and had never been to the island owned by Epstein or traveled on his plane.”
She simultaneously accused the House Oversight Committee of “trying to protect” President Donald Trump, arguing they should require President Trump to go under oath and answer directly as to why his name appears tens of thousands of times in the Epstein files.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, who is also set to question former president Bill Clinton on February 27, stated that the purpose of the entire investigation is to better understand various issues related to Epstein. “We have asked a great many questions but are not satisfied with the answers we have received,” he said after the hearing concluded.
Mrs. Clinton’s hearing was held in a closed-door format, though she posted her opening remarks on social media before the event took place. A full transcript is expected to be released once approved by the former Secretary of State’s lawyers.
Representative Robert Garcia, the leader of the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, also called for Mr. Trump to testify “to answer the questions being raised by victims across the country.” “This should happen immediately,” he said.
The House Oversight Committee, led by Republicans, is investigating individuals connected to Epstein, the pedophile billionaire who committed suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.
Initially, the Clintons refused to testify, but changed their decision after House Republicans threatened to charge them with contempt of Congress.
In her opening statement, Mrs. Clinton said the committee required her to testify based on the assumption that the former Secretary of State possessed information relevant to investigations into the criminal activities of Epstein and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. “Let me be as clear as possible. I do not,” she emphasized.
The hearing was briefly paused after a photo of Hillary speaking was posted online, a move that violated the closed-session agreement.
“It is unacceptable that the Republicans on the committee broke their own rules by releasing the image,” said Suhas Subramanyam, a Democratic member of the committee.
Speaking to the press after the hearing, Hillary also expressed confidence that her husband knew nothing of Epstein’s criminal acts, including the sexual abuse of minors, during the time the two were still in contact.
“I believe that, looking at the timeline, the relationship he had with Epstein ended years before Epstein’s criminal activities were uncovered,” she said, while describing the hearing as “long and repetitive.”
Democrats argue that the investigation is being exploited as a political tool to attack Mr. Trump’s opponents, rather than performing a legitimate oversight function.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Clinton, both 79, appear in a series of documents recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice regarding Epstein, though they stated they had cut all ties with Epstein before the billionaire was convicted of sex crimes in Florida in 2008. The fact that a person is mentioned in the records is not evidence that they committed a crime.
Former president Bill Clinton admitted to traveling on Epstein’s private plane for humanitarian work related to the Clinton Foundation, but asserted he never visited the billionaire’s private island, where Epstein committed crimes against minors.
The Clintons requested that the hearing be held publicly, but the committee preferred to conduct it behind closed doors, a move Mr. Clinton condemned as being like a “show trial.”
Epstein, born in 1953, was arrested in New York in July 2019 on charges of enticing dozens of minors and engaging in sexual acts with them. The businessman faced 45 years in prison if convicted. Epstein denied all charges and was held at a Manhattan jail in New York. While awaiting trial, Epstein committed suicide by hanging in his cell in August 2019.
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