From a leaked photo to questions on UFOs: key points from Hillary Clinton’s Epstein testimony | Hillary Clinton
1. “Who is protected? »
Clinton sharply criticized the House Oversight Committee — and its Republican majority — in her opening statement.
The proceedings were not designed to seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors of Epstein’s crimes, she argued.
“I don’t know how many times I had to say I didn’t know Jeffrey Epstein,” Clinton told reporters after her deposition. “I’ve never been to his island. I’ve never been to his house. I’ve never been to his offices.
“If the majority were serious, they wouldn’t waste time on fishing expeditions. There are too many things to do. What is being held back? Who is being protected? And why this cover-up?” she said.
2. “People started asking me questions about UFOs”
The questions were “repetitive,” according to Clinton. “They were literally asking the same questions over and over again, which didn’t seem very productive to me.”
Towards the end of the session, the questions would have veered off course. “It became quite unusual,” Clinton told reporters, “because I started getting asked questions about UFOs and a series of questions about Pizzagate, one of the most vile false conspiracy theories.”
Clinton was referring to false and widely publicized musings in 2016 that a Washington, D.C. pizzeria was a front for a child sex ring she ran and that the New York Police Department had uncovered a pedophilia ring linked to Democrats.
3. The session was briefly derailed by a photo leak
Clinton’s testimony was interrupted when Republican committee member Lauren Boebert leaked a photo from the room. Conservative influencer Benny Johnson posted the image on social media platform X stating that Clinton “doesn’t look happy.”
The hearing was temporarily suspended at the request of Clinton’s legal team. Witnesses or lawmakers are prohibited from taking photos during closed-door congressional hearings.
“We had agreed to rules, based on the fact that it would be a closed hearing, at their request,” Clinton said after the session. “And one of the members violated that rule, which was very upsetting because it suggested that he might be violating other of our agreements.”
Clinton had pushed Republicans to hold a public hearing.
4. “Ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he appears in the Epstein files”
California’s Robert Garcia, the committee’s top Democrat, told reporters that Trump and his Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, are expected to testify about their ties to Epstein.
Lutnick admitted to visiting Epstein’s private island years after he initially said he had severed ties.
The relationship between Trump and Epstein has proven to be a political minefield for the president, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
They were once friends, but Trump claimed to have kicked Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club because the late financier “stole” from staff.
Clinton said, “If this commission really wants to know the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes, it won’t rely on media groups for answers from our current president about his involvement. It will ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he appears in Epstein’s files.”
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican, said it was “possible” the committee would subpoena Lutnick, but rejected the idea of having Trump appear before the committee.
“President Trump has answered hundreds, if not thousands, of questions from you about Epstein and I think he has been very transparent in releasing the documents,” Comer told reporters.
5. Clinton Is Convinced Her Husband Knew Nothing About Epstein’s Crimes
Bill Clinton is to be impeached by the committee on Friday, amid questions about his former relationship with Epstein. Clinton, like a group of other influential men, including Trump, had a well-documented social relationship with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Asked by a reporter Thursday if she was “100 percent sure” that her husband was unaware of Epstein’s crimes when he spent time with him before the late sex offender’s first arrest, Hillary Clinton responded, “I am, and I think the timeline of the ties that he had with…Epstein ended years, several years before anything about Epstein’s criminal activities came to light.” »
As the Clintons appear in closed sessions, transcripts and videos from both of their sessions are expected to be made public.
