Hillary Clinton’s Jeffrey Epstein testimony descended into chaos (Image: AP)
Hillary Clinton’s Jeffrey Epstein deposition descended into chaos after she dramatically turned the tables on Donald Trump in a fiery opening statement. The closed-door deposition of the former US Secretary of State commenced on Thursday in Chappaqua, New York. US lawmakers are taking two days of depositions which will also include former President Bill Clinton. The questioning forms part of a congressional investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a fiery opening statement, Mrs Clinton turned the tables on Republicans, accusing them of targeting her while failing to investigate US President Donald Trump. She previously told the committee she has no memory of ever meeting Epstein, the disgraced financier who killed himself in 2019 while facing charges for sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls.
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Former First Lady Mrs Clinton did have connections to Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, through the Clinton Foundation. Maxwell was also a guest at the 2010 wedding of the Clintons’ daughter Chelsea.
Mrs Clinton told the committee: “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.
“If this committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement. It would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files.”
The House Oversight Committee’s deposition of Mrs Clinton had to be paused at one point after Republican Lauren Boebert sent a photo of the closed-door proceeding to a conservative influencer.
Benny Johnson, a right-wing Youtuber, posted a photo of Mrs Clinton at the deposition online and said Ms Boebert had provided it.
The deposition is being recorded on video, but Republican James Comer has said that will only be released after Mrs Clinton’s legal team has had a chance to review it. The committee’s rules do not allow outside press or photographers to take photos of proceedings.
Mr Comer is seeking to cast the investigation as a bipartisan effort where committee members are also willing to question Republicans.
Hillary Clinton called on the Committee to question Donald Trump over his own Epstein links (Image: Getty)
In her opening statement, Mrs Clinton also said: “I had no idea about their (Epstein and Maxwell) criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr Epstein.”
Democrats on the committee argued that former President Clinton’s appearance for the deposition set a precedent which should apply to Mr Trump as well.
Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel, said: “Let’s get President Trump in front of our committee to answer the questions that are being asked across this country from survivors.”
Mr Comer, said previously the committee can’t deposition Mr Trump because he’s a sitting president. Mr Trump, however, has expressed regret that the Clintons are being forced to testify in the probe.
The Clintons agreed to testify after their offers of sworn statements were rebuffed by the Oversight panel and its chairman threatened criminal contempt of Congress charges against them.