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Former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton revealed her opening statement for her deposition with members of the Republican-led House Oversight Committee as part of their investigation into late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday (February 26).
“The Committee justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Let me be as clear as I can. I do not,” she said. “I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that," Clinton said, noting that she has been horrified to learn of his crimes.
“This institutional failure is designed to protect one political party and one public official, rather than to seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors, as well as the public who also want to get to the bottom of this matter. My heart breaks for the survivors. And I am furious on their behalf,” she added.
Clinton, 78, participated in a videotaped, closed-door interview at her Chappaqua, New York, home, with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, set for a similar deposition the following day. The former Democratic presidential candidate previously demanded that depositions from her and her husband be held publicly, calling out House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) in a post on her X account on February 5.
"For six months, we engaged Republicans on the Oversight Committee in good faith. We told them what we know, under oath. They ignored all of it. They moved the goalposts and turned accountability into an exercise in distraction," Clinton wrote. "So let’s stop the games. If you want this fight, @RepJamesComer, let’s have it—in public. You love to talk about transparency. There’s nothing more transparent than a public hearing, cameras on. We will be there."
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform announced former Secretary Clinton would appear for a deposition on February 26 and former President Clinton would appear on February 27 in a press release shared on February 3.
"Republicans and Democrats on the Oversight Committee have been clear: no one is above the law—and that includes the Clintons. After delaying and defying duly issued subpoenas for six months, the House Oversight Committee moved swiftly to initiate contempt of Congress proceedings in response to their non-compliance. Once it became clear that the House of Representatives would hold them in contempt, the Clintons completely caved and will appear for transcribed, filmed depositions this month. We look forward to questioning the Clintons as part of our investigation into the horrific crimes of Epstein and Maxwell, to deliver transparency and accountability for the American people and for survivors," said Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).
Comer had previously called for charges against the Clintons Monday evening, claiming they defied a congressional subpoena when their attorneys emailed staff for the Oversight panel and said they'd accept Comer's demands and “will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates.” Attorneys for the Clintons requested that Comer agree not to move forward with contempt proceedings, but the Kentucky Republican said he was not immediately dropping the charges, which could result in a substantial fine and possible incarceration if passed by the House and prosecuted by the Department of Justice.
“We don’t have anything in writing,” Comer told reporters, noting that he was open to accepting the Clintons’ offer, though “it depends on what they say," via the Associated Press.
The late negotiations coincided with Republican leaders advancing the contempt resolution through the House Rules Committee, the last hurdle needed prior to being sent to the House floor for a vote. Clinton would be the first former president held in contempt and facing potential prison time.
In December, Clinton called for the release of all files related to Epstein in order to avoid further insinuation of wrongdoing against people "who have been repeatedly cleared" in a statement shared by his longtime spokesman Angel Ureña. Clinton was seen in several photos released by the Justice Department on December 19 in adherence with the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed by Congress, which included one in a hot tub and others with celebrities, while the department was criticized for withholding hundreds of thousands of pages of additional files.
"The Epstein Files Transparency Act imposes a clear legal duty on the U.S. Department of Justice to produce the full and complete record the public demands and deserves," the statement from Ureña reads. "However, what the Department of Justice has released so far, and the manner in which it did so, makes one thing clear: someone or something is being protected. We do not know whom, what or why. But we do know this: We need no such protection.