Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faced questions on Thursday from the House Oversight Committee over ties to Jeffrey Epstein, a man she said she doesn’t recall ever meeting. She said it’s past time for President Donald Trump — whose name appears repeatedly in the Epstein files and who had a yearslong relationship with the sex offender — to answer questions, too.
Lawmakers from both parties in the committee traveled to Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons reside, for the deposition, which was briefly paused Thursday afternoon after Rep. Lauren Boebert shared a photo that was posted online.
Democrats repeatedly referred back to Trump in public comments.
“You have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract attention from President Trump’s actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers,” Clinton said in her opening statement, which was posted on social media.
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She and other Democrats pointed to the Department of Justice’s failure to release files that include accusations against Trump, first reported by NPR and The New York Times. Trump has denied wrongdoing related to Epstein.
“We’re going to be demanding, even over these next few days, that the remaining files that have not been released get released to the public,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the committee, told reporters in New York before the deposition. “And that includes new files that were just discovered in the last couple of days of a survivor who has made serious accusations and allegations, not just against Jeffrey Epstein but also against President Trump.”
Attorney General “Pam Bondi and the president need to answer where those files are,” Garcia said.
On Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats held a press conference calling on Bondi to fully release the entirety of the files, calling it a cover-up.
“More and more keeps coming out, and the more that comes out, the more we see how large their cover-up has been,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in the Thursday press conference.
Beyond Trump, Clinton seemingly suggested the committee subpoena Elon Musk, who asked Epstein when his “wildest party” would be in an email exchange in 2012.
Republican lawmakers did not attend last week’s deposition of Les Wexner, an Ohio billionaire and Republican donor, over his ties to Epstein, but were present at this week’s proceedings.
Rep. Nancy Mace told reporters ahead of the deposition that she would ask Clinton about Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
“That’s very possible. I think it’s a good possibility that his name will arise in some questioning today,” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer told reporters when asked if he would request testimony from Lutnick.
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