Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to provide testimony in private before a congressional committee investigating the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell on Thursday. The following day, former President Bill Clinton will be questioned by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee regarding his connections with Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial.
Initially, the Clintons had rebuffed subpoenas summoning them to testify in the panel’s investigation. However, they eventually agreed to comply after facing threats of contempt of Congress from House Republicans.
Democrats argue that the probe is being exploited to target political adversaries of former President Donald Trump, a former associate of Epstein who has not been called to testify, rather than for genuine oversight purposes.
Both Trump and Bill Clinton, aged 79, are prominently featured in recently disclosed government documents related to Epstein. Nonetheless, they have maintained that they severed ties with the financier before his 2008 conviction in Florida for sexual offenses. The mere mention of their names in the documents does not imply criminal conduct.
Although the Clintons requested their depositions to be public, the committee insisted on conducting the questioning behind closed doors, a decision that Bill Clinton criticized as politically motivated and reminiscent of a “kangaroo court.”
Hillary Clinton, aged 78, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump, emphasized in a recent BBC interview that she and her husband have no secrets to conceal. She acknowledged meeting Maxwell on a few occasions but clarified there were no significant interactions with Epstein.
According to Clinton, the Republicans are diverting attention from Trump by summoning them for testimony. She criticized the move as a distraction tactic.
The depositions are taking place in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons currently reside.
Bill Clinton acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane multiple times in the early 2000s for humanitarian work related to the Clinton Foundation. However, he stated that he never visited Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean.
Ghislaine Maxwell, aged 64, is the sole individual convicted in connection with the deceased financier. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking. During her recent appearance via video link before the House Oversight Committee, Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer any questions.
Maxwell’s attorney, David Markus, indicated that she would be willing to speak publicly if granted clemency by Trump. Markus also affirmed the innocence of Trump and Bill Clinton, stating that Maxwell alone can provide clarity on the situation.
Epstein established a network involving influential business figures, politicians, celebrities, and academics. The disclosure of the Epstein files has had global repercussions, leading to the arrests in Britain of former Prince Andrew and Peter Mandelson, the former US ambassador. Several prominent individuals in the US have suffered reputational damage due to their associations with Epstein, resulting in resignations, but Maxwell remains the only one facing legal repercussions.