Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday (26 February) that she had no information about the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and urged lawmakers to question President Donald Trump under oath about the disgraced financier.
In a statement to the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, Clinton said: “I do not recall ever encountering Mr Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that.”
Her statement was issued as she was due to give a closed-door deposition before the committee in Chappaqua, New York.
Clinton, the Democratic Party’s 2016 presidential nominee, has repeatedly said she does not recall meeting Epstein and has no personal knowledge of his crimes.
She and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, initially declined to testify before the committee but agreed after lawmakers moved to hold them in contempt of Congress. Bill Clinton is scheduled to appear before the committee on Friday.
Ahead of the hearing, Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, rejected suggestions that the inquiry was a partisan effort targeting Trump’s former 2016 election rival. He noted that several Democrats had also called for the Clintons to testify.
“No one is accusing at this moment the Clintons of any wrongdoing,” Comer said.
He said the committee would seek information about any interactions Hillary Clinton may have had with Epstein, his involvement in the Clintons’ charitable work, and any relationship she may have had with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently in prison.
Representative Robert Garcia of California, the committee’s most senior Democrat, told reporters that Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick should also testify. Lutnick has acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private island years after he said he had cut ties with him.
A spokesperson for the Clintons did not respond to a request for comment. Comer said transcripts of the Clintons’ interviews would be made public.
Questions remain over the extent of the Clintons’ links to Epstein. Bill Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane several times in the early 2000s after leaving office. He has denied any wrongdoing and has expressed regret over his association with the financier.
According to Comer, Epstein visited the White House 17 times during Bill Clinton’s presidency.
Trump also socialised extensively with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s, before Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Comer said evidence gathered by the panel does not implicate Trump.
U.S. and Pakistani leaders forecast a Sunday signing of a long-elusive framework agreement to end fighting between the United States and Iran, but Teh...
Australia put on a defensive masterclass as they beat Türkiye 2-0 in Vancouver in the final opening Group D match....
Romania's centrist President Nicușor Dan on Sunday designated Adrian Veștea, a member of the liberal party, as prime minister, after independent can...
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Georgia to implement reforms to tackle youth unemployment. Nearly 30 per cent of people aged 15-24 ar...
North Korea said on Sunday, 14 June, that denuclearisation is a matter that is irreversibly terminated, in a condemnation of recent nuclear deterren...
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said on Friday (27 February) that he had no knowledge of the crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and would not have flown on the late convicted sex offender’s plane had he had any inkling of his activities.
Speaking during a closed-door deposition in New York on Thursday (February), former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she did not “recall” ever meeting the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and had “no knowledge of his crimes”.
Pakistan has warned that any attempt by India to block or significantly reduce river flows under the Indus Waters Treaty could have “far-reaching consequences”, after India's water minister said New Delhi was working to ensure that “not a single drop” of water reaches Pakistan in the coming years.
SpaceX made a historic entrance into the Nasdaq on Friday, surging over 20% in its first day of trading and lifting its valuation to more than $2 trillion. Investors flocked to the world’s largest IPO, betting on Elon Musk’s sprawling empire spanning rockets, AI and beyond.
Armenia has every right to choose Europe. But Europe’s support for Armenia’s direction should not become automatic approval of its political process.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said a peace agreement with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday in a post on social media, despite Tehran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying no deal would be approved this weekend.
Japan’s birth rate and fertility levels have fallen to their lowest levels on record, highlighting the country’s worsening demographic crisis as fewer people marry and have children.
Romania's centrist President Nicușor Dan on Sunday designated Adrian Veștea, a member of the liberal party, as prime minister, after independent candidate Eugen Tomac withdrew.
North Korea said on Sunday, 14 June, that denuclearisation is a matter that is irreversibly terminated, in a condemnation of recent nuclear deterrence talks between the U.S. and South Korea.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to publish the UK government's long-awaited Defence Investment Plan ahead of next month's NATO summit in Ankara, following growing pressure over the UK's military spending commitments.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says British armed forces intercepted a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker early on Sunday, as it attempted to pass through the English Channel.
Hundreds of protesters have torn down fences surrounding a planned luxury development site in Albania, as public anger continues to mount over construction in environmentally sensitive areas.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment