Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Thursday to provide testimony in the ongoing investigation into late financier Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes.
Hillary Clinton, along with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had initially resisted congressional demands to testify, calling them politically motivated. Their decision to appear came after potential contempt-of-Congress proceedings were considered.
Hillary Clinton told the panel she does not recall meeting or speaking with Epstein, though she met his convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell on a few occasions. Maxwell had attended the wedding of the Clintons’ daughter, Chelsea, in 2010. Bill Clinton has acknowledged knowing Epstein but denies any wrongdoing or knowledge of his crimes. He is scheduled to testify on Friday.
In an interview last week, Hillary Clinton described the deposition as a Republican effort to shift attention from questions about President Donald Trump’s ties to Epstein. She said, “We have nothing to hide” and called for full public release of related files.
Some Democratic committee members had supported initiating contempt proceedings before the Clintons agreed to testify. The couple has called the investigation “partisan politics” and said legal summonses were intended to embarrass political rivals. Nevertheless, they agreed to testify to set a precedent that “no one is above the law,” according to Bill Clinton’s spokesperson.
The hearings are being held near the Clintons’ home in Chappaqua, New York. Unlike typical depositions, they have requested parts of their testimony be public to prevent selective leaks.
This will be the first time a former US president has testified before a congressional panel since Gerald Ford in 1983. Committee members from both parties are expected to brief reporters following Hillary Clinton’s testimony.
The House probe has also released documents showing Epstein’s connections to several high-profile individuals, including former and current US officials. Appearances in the files do not imply wrongdoing. The depositions are seen as an effort to clarify the Clintons’ limited involvement with Epstein and related associates.
With inputs from BBC