Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to testify behind closed doors today before a congressional committee investigating the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. This high-profile deposition marks a significant development in the ongoing probe into Epstein's network.
Bill Clinton's Scheduled Testimony and Scrutiny
Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to answer questions tomorrow from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee regarding his relations with Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. The Clintons initially rejected subpoenas ordering them to testify but eventually agreed after House Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress.
Closed-Door Proceedings and Political Tensions
The proceedings will take place behind closed doors but will be recorded, with footage expected to be released later. This arrangement is reminiscent of Hillary Clinton's 1998 grand jury testimony, which was made public the following month. Bill Clinton has denounced the closed-door format as "pure politics" and akin to a "kangaroo court," calling for a public hearing instead.
On social media, he wrote: "If they want answers, let’s stop the games and do this the right way: in a public hearing, where the American people can see for themselves what this is really about."
Allegations and Denials
Bill Clinton has denied any wrongdoing but is under scrutiny over admissions that he flew on Epstein's private plane several times. Recently released files include photos showing the ex-president in potentially compromising poses, such as one with him in a hot tub with Epstein and a woman whose identity is redacted.
Hillary Clinton, for her part, denies ever having met Epstein but acknowledges meeting Ghislaine Maxwell, his partner and convicted co-conspirator. For Republicans, focusing on the Clintons has the advantage of deflecting attention from Donald Trump's relationship with Epstein.
Broader Political Context
In related developments, the FBI fired at least 10 people this week who worked on the special counsel’s investigation of Donald Trump for illegally taking classified documents after he left office in 2021. Additionally, a federal judge in Boston ruled that the Trump administration’s third-country removal policy, deporting immigrants to countries to which they have no ties, is unlawful.
Dr. Jerome Adams, who served as the US surgeon general during Donald Trump’s first term, denounced the president’s nomination of Dr. Casey Means, a wellness influencer without a medical license. Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz criticized the Trump administration’s decision to withhold $259 million in federal Medicaid funds from his state, claiming it "has nothing to do with fraud" but is instead about Trump "weaponizing the entirety of the federal government to punish blue states."
