Clinton defends herself against epstein probe, accuses republicans of distraction

Clinton testifies amid epstein investigation

Hillary Clinton faced a grilling from a House committee investigating her connections to Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday, accusing Republican members of using the probe to divert attention from Donald Trump’s involvement with the convicted sex offender. The closed-door session, held a day before her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was scheduled to testify, saw Clinton vehemently deny any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities and criticize the committee’s approach. Millions of files released by the Justice Department have implicated numerous high-profile figures, including Prince Andrew.

Key moments from clinton's testimony

Clinton’s opening statement was sharp, directly condemning the House Oversight Committee and its Republican majority. She argued that the proceedings were not genuinely focused on seeking justice for Epstein’s victims and survivors, but rather on a “fishing expedition.” “I don’t know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein,” she stated. Clinton emphasized the need to uncover who is being protected and why a cover-up might be in place, urging a shift from unproductive inquiries to concrete investigation.

Ufo questions and pizzagate controversy

Clinton described the questioning as “repetitive,” noting that she was asked the same questions repeatedly. The session took an unexpected turn later on, with questions veering into unrelated areas, including UFOs and the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory. Pizzagate, a false narrative from 2016, falsely claimed a Washington D.C. pizzeria was a front for a child sex ring linked to Clinton. The inclusion of such questions underscored Clinton’s assertion that the committee’s focus was misdirected and lacked seriousness.

Hearing briefly disrupted by leaked photo

The deposition was temporarily suspended after a Republican committee member, Lauren Boebert, leaked a photo of Clinton from the closed-door hearing to social media. The image, posted by conservative influencer Benny Johnson, was captioned suggesting Clinton “does not look happy.” Clinton’s legal team requested the suspension, citing violations of the agreed-upon rules for closed hearings. Clinton expressed concern that the photo leak indicated a disregard for other agreements and a potential attempt to further undermine the process.

Democrats demand trump testimony

Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, called for Donald Trump and his former Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify regarding their ties to Epstein. Lutnick has acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private island years after initially claiming he had severed ties. Trump’s relationship with Epstein has become a significant political liability. Clinton challenged the committee to directly question Trump under oath about the documented frequency of his appearances in Epstein’s files, rather than relying on press statements.

Bill clinton's potential testimony and alibi

Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify on Friday, facing scrutiny over his interactions with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Hillary Clinton maintains she is “100% confident” that her husband was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activities before his arrest. She stated that the timeline of their relationship ended years before any criminal activity became public. Both Clintons’ testimony is taking place in closed-door sessions, but transcripts and video recordings are expected to be released to the public.