Hillary Clinton Faces Lengthy Deposition in Epstein Inquiry
In a significant turn of events, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton underwent over six hours of questioning behind closed doors, as part of a congressional probe into Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender and financier. The House Oversight Committee, led by Republicans, had subpoenaed both Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, to testify in the case.
Bill Clinton is scheduled to appear before the committee the following day.
After the deposition, Hillary Clinton addressed the media, expressing her desire for transparency. She and her legal team have requested that transcripts and videos of the proceedings be released promptly.
“It was disappointing that they refused to hold a public hearing so I wouldn’t have to be out here characterizing it for you,” she stated outside the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center in New York. “You could have seen it for yourself. We had asked for that. We think it would have been better for the committee and its efforts to gather whatever information they are seeking.”
Clinton expressed frustration over the repetitive nature of the questioning and indicated she would not return for another session, even if it were public. She emphasized, “I don’t know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein. I never went to his island, I never went to his home, I never went to his offices.”
The committee’s focus partly stems from Bill Clinton’s past friendship with Epstein, although he has not been accused of any misconduct. Hillary Clinton assured that her husband was unaware of Epstein’s criminal background and ceased contact with him “several years before anything about Epstein’s criminal history came to light.”
Committee discussions included off-topic questions regarding UFOs and the “pizzagate” conspiracy, much to Clinton’s dismay.
Clinton also mentioned Epstein’s 2008 plea deal, stating, “I think it is fair to say that the vast majority of people who had contact with him before his criminal pleas in ’08, they did not know what he was doing, and I think that that is exactly what my husband will testify to tomorrow.”
According to Committee Chair, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, a video of the deposition may be publicly accessible within 24 hours, and the transcript will follow once reviewed by Clinton’s legal team, adhering to standard deposition procedures.
The session faced a minor disruption when Clinton paused proceedings after a conservative influencer posted a photo from inside the deposition room on social media platform X. Nevertheless, the questioning resumed with participation from lawmakers across the political spectrum.
Post-deposition, Comer and his Republican colleagues deemed the session productive but regretted the delay in securing the Clintons’ testimonies. “I think we learned a lot. There were a lot of questions that we asked that we, you know, weren’t satisfied with the answers that we got, but we will continue to move forward,” Comer remarked.
Comer noted instances where Clinton replied, “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask my husband,” indicating the committee’s intent to delve deeper in the upcoming session with Bill Clinton. “We have a lot of questions for her husband tomorrow, and I’m confident that deposition will last even longer than this one,” he added.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
