Khaberni - Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton categorically denied that she met the late businessman Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of sex crimes and accused of sex trafficking minors, demanding that President Donald Trump appear before Congress to give testimony about his relationship with Epstein.
Clinton, appearing before the Oversight Committee in Chappaqua, New York, said, "I do not remember ever meeting Mr. Epstein. I have never traveled on his plane, nor visited his island or his homes or offices. I have nothing to add in this regard."
The former secretary accused the Republican-led committee of trying to "distract" from President Trump's previous relationship with Epstein, who was found dead in 2019 in his cell while awaiting trial on human trafficking charges.
In her opening statement before the committee, Clinton described the hearing as "a partisan political charade" and "an insult to the American people," arguing that her subpoena was aimed at "covering up President Trump's actions despite legitimate demands for answers."
Clinton called for the Oversight Committee to summon Trump to give his testimony regarding his relationship with Epstein, accusing his administration of weakening the Office at the State Department responsible for combating international sex trafficking, citing her record in this area during her political career.
Appearance Before Congress
Initially, Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, refused to testify before the Congressional committee, agreeing only after lawmakers moved to consider them in defiance of Congress's orders. Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify under similar circumstances on Friday.
Committee chair Republican Congressman James Comer denied that the investigation is part of a partisan effort, stating, "No one is accusing the Clintons at this moment of committing any violations," adding that the committee seeks to understand any potential connections between them and Epstein, as well as their possible relationship with his former partner Ghislaine Maxwell.
Comer confirmed that transcripts of the filmed interviews would be published for the public at a later date.
Past Relations and Open Files
Bill Clinton previously admitted to traveling several times on Epstein's private plane in the early 2000s after his presidency ended, but denied any wrongdoing, expressing regret over his relationship with him and confirming that he cut off communications with him in 2006 when his crimes became known.
Trump also had a relationship with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, before it ended. Comer confirmed that the evidence collected by the committee so far does not incriminate Trump.
In this context, Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia called for Trump to be summoned to testify before the committee, saying: "Let's bring President Trump to appear before our committee and answer the questions," accusing the Justice Department and Trump's administration of hiding data in the case.
Justice Department Commits to Reviewing Files
On the other hand, the U.S. Department of Justice has committed to reviewing case files related to Epstein, following media reports accusing the Trump administration of hiding documents containing references to him, including allegations of sexual assault on a minor.
The American Public Radio “NPR” reported that the Department of Justice, under Pam Bondi’s leadership, blocked the publication of documents related to accusations against Trump, alleging that he sexually assaulted a minor decades ago. According to the report, several documents from the public database of the case mentioning Trump alongside Epstein were withdrawn.
Based on media reports, the Department of Justice stated, in a statement on Wednesday evening, that it is currently reviewing whether the published documents also lack files related to Epstein's former partner, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The department added, via the platform “X”, that if it turns out there are documents that were incorrectly classified and meet the legal standards for publication "of course, the department will publish them," referring to the law enacted last year requiring the administration to disclose all case files.
The Department of Justice had previously confirmed that "nothing has been deleted," explaining that the unpublished documents are either duplicates, legally prohibited, or included in an ongoing federal investigation.
"Largest Cover-Up Operation"
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that among the unpublished documents are FBI memos summarizing four interrogation sessions for a woman who alleged in 2019 that she had been sexually assaulted as a minor by Epstein and Trump.
The newspaper noted that only one summary of these interrogations, involving accusations against Epstein only, was published, without any mention of the American president.
Democratic congressmen on the Oversight Committee confirmed in recent weeks that they had investigated the FBI's handling of these allegations, stating that the Justice Department "illegally retained" the interviews conducted by the office with the alleged victim.
The congressmen wrote on the platform “X” that "hiding direct evidence of a potential assault committed by a President of the United States is the most serious crime possible in this cover-up operation," describing it as "the largest governmental cover-up operation in modern history."
The Department of Justice responded to these accusations by urging Democrats to "stop misleading the public and stoking the discontent of their anti-Trump base."
This comes at a time when the Department of Justice, during Trump's administration, revealed more than 3 million pages of documents related to Epstein, complying with the law enacted by Congress, while millions of other documents remain hidden.
A number of victims criticized the deletion of wide portions of the documents, as well as the failure to prosecute other potential associates of Epstein.
The published documents caused international repercussions, leading to criminal investigations abroad against prominent figures, including the former British Prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
The current hearings remain a new milestone in a long series of political investigations related to the Epstein case, amid a sharp partisan divide in Washington over the scope and goals of the investigation, and mutual accusations of using the file as a political weapon.
