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.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reaffirmed his support for Saudi Arabia following Houthi attacks, as U.S. President Donald Trump consid...
Pakistan and Oman called for restraint and diplomacy on Wednesday as they discussed the U.S.-Iran conflict, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and thre...
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at ...
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, vowing to carry out more attacks in the coming days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Thousands of young Georgians leave the country each year in search of better economic opportunities, with many moving west. As questions grow over Georgia’s European path, AnewZ spoke to people who have emigrated about what it would take for them to return.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
A 62-year-old man died on Wednesday after floodwaters swept his car into the sea on the Greek island of Rhodes, as torrential rain flooded roads, stranded vehicles and disrupted transport across the island.
A failure by the U.S. and Iran to reach an agreement on a UN-backed fertiliser shipping plan for the Strait of Hormuz within weeks could trigger a food security crisis in parts of Asia and Africa, a senior UN official has warned.
Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer, after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung. The Vatican says the tumour was detected during a routine health check, but its stage and whether it has spread remain unknown.
Greek students braved heavy rain to pitch tents outside parliament in Athens on Tuesday, demanding affordable housing and more education funding as rising living costs put university places beyond the reach of some students.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment