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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”.
During more than six hours of testimony before the House Oversight Committee, Mrs Clinton repeatedly denied any connection to files relating to Epstein.
Concluding her evidence, she said she wanted “the truth” to emerge and called for President Donald Trump to be questioned under oath about his past association with Epstein.
Proceedings were briefly suspended after a photograph was taken inside the private hearing and later posted on X by a conservative influencer. Mrs Clinton urged Democrats on the Republican-led House Oversight Committee to condemn the leak, describing it as “completely against the rules.”
She also said she was “disappointed” that the testimony had not been made public. “So I wouldn’t have to be out here characterising it for you,” she added
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Mrs Clinton repeated her claim that the inquiry amounted to “partisan political theatre” and described the hearing as “repetitive”. She urged the committee to call Mr Trump to give evidence.
“I don’t know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein. I never went to his island, I never went to his home, I never went to his offices,” she said.
However, she said she commended the committee’s chairman, James Comer, for raising what she described as significant questions and for allowing her to outline areas she believes warrant further examination.
Comer and fellow Republicans characterised the deposition as productive, saying Mrs Clinton answered most of their questions.
“I think we learned a lot. There were a lot of questions that we asked that we, you know, weren’t satisfied with the answers that we got, but we will continue to move forward,” Mr Comer said.
Her husband, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, is due to testify on Friday. He has previously acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane but has denied any knowledge of, or involvement in, his crimes.
Mrs Clinton said his association with Epstein had ended long before charges were brought and before Epstein secured what she described as a lenient plea deal in Florida. She added that some of Epstein’s offences might have been prevented had that agreement not been reached.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan will hold an urgent high-level meeting under a joint defence pact to discuss ways to support the kingdom amid attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. The meeting comes as Tehran seeks to distance itself from the rapid advance of its Houthi allies.
The 81st UN General Assembly has wrapped up its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplomatic meetings.
World leaders return to the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday for the fourth day of the high-level General Debate, with speeches and diplomatic meetings continuing throughout the day.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is comfortable maintaining its trade standoff with Canada despite new import bans taking effect next week U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday.
The military chiefs of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan met in Riyadh to discuss closer defence cooperation under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
French President Emmanuel Macron has left open the possibility of seeking the presidency again after he leaves office next year, saying he “doesn’t exclude anything” when asked about a possible third mandate.
World leaders return to the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday for the fourth day of the high-level General Debate, with speeches and diplomatic meetings continuing throughout the day.
Pope Leo XIV arrived in France on Friday for a four-day visit focused on artificial intelligence, the future of Europe, peace and the Catholic Church's response to its abuse crisis.
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