Hillary Clinton’s testimony before the House Oversight Committee was temporarily halted on Thursday after a photograph of the closed-door proceeding was leaked online.
The image, which shows the former Secretary of State testifying under oath, was posted by conservative influencer Benny Johnson. According to Johnson, the photo was provided by Representative Lauren Boebert, a Republican member of the committee.
The temporary pause interrupted the first of two days of high-profile depositions in Chappaqua, New York, focusing on the congressional investigation into deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Despite the disruption, Clinton used her opening statement—which she later shared on social media—to distance herself and her husband from Epstein’s criminal activities.
“I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein,” Clinton told lawmakers, referring to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. She added that while she had interacted with Maxwell at Clinton Global Initiative events, she had never flown on Epstein’s private plane or visited his various properties.
The sessions follow months of legal friction between the Clintons and the Republican-led committee. Chairman James Comer had previously threatened the couple with criminal contempt of Congress charges after they initially declined to appear, offering written statements instead. The committee rejected that offer, leading to the current filmed and transcribed depositions.
Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify on Friday. While he has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing, he has acknowledged traveling on Epstein’s plane for foundation work in the early 2000s. House investigators are expected to question the former president regarding Justice Department files that include photos of him at Epstein’s properties.
This week marks the first time a former president has been compelled to testify before a congressional committee. Republican staffers have stated they intend to release the full video footage and transcripts of both interviews within the coming days.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Hillary Clinton is scheduled to provide testimony to House investigators today, followed by former President Bill Clinton on Friday, as part of a congressional probe into the network of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The depositions, which are taking place in Chappaqua, New York, will be filmed and transcribed. Republican committee staffers have stated they intend to release the video footage and transcripts to the public within days of the interviews.
The appearances follow months of legal back-and-forth between the Clintons and the House Oversight Committee. Both were facing potential contempt of Congress charges after initially declining to appear for depositions earlier this year.
While the Clintons ultimately agreed to participate, they have requested that the proceedings be held in a public hearing rather than behind closed doors—a request the committee has not granted for these initial sessions.
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Hillary Clinton has repeatedly stated that she never met Epstein. While her name appeared in documents released by the Justice Department, many of those entries were news articles about her 2016 campaign.
Bill Clinton’s connection to the financier is more documented; he has acknowledged taking four international trips on Epstein’s private aircraft for foundation work in the early 2000s. Flight logs indicate he may have been on the plane as many as 16 times, and released files included photographs of him at Epstein’s properties.
The former president has consistently maintained that he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes at the time of their association and that he severed ties in 2006. Law enforcement has not accused either Clinton of any criminal wrongdoing related to the case.
Committee Chairman James Comer stated the investigation seeks to understand how Epstein and his associates “sought to curry favor and influence” to avoid scrutiny.
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