Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Thursday as part of its investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The former Democratic presidential nominee has not been accused of wrongdoing. She has repeatedly said she has no ties to Epstein or his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Still, House Republicans forcing her to answer questions under oath in a closed-door deposition marks an extraordinary moment in the Epstein saga and sets the table for an even more dramatic face-off: Her husband, former President Bill Clinton will be deposed on Friday.
Bill Clinton appears in multiple documents in the Epstein files, including in several photos with the convicted sex offender, women whose identities were obscured and prominent celebrities. The documents show that Maxwell was involved in kicking off the Clinton Global Initiative years before Epstein was indicted for sex crimes in Florida in 2006. The former president is not accused of and has denied wrongdoing.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the oversight committee, subpoenaed the Clintons in August. The former first couple initially declined to comply, but relented in early February after the committee voted to advance contempt resolutions against them.
Angel Ureña, the former president’s spokesperson, said at the time that the Clintons “negotiated in good faith” with the committee, but Comer did not.
The Clintons have said their testimony should be conducted in public, but Comer insisted on private depositions.
“We have nothing to hide,” Hillary Clinton told the BBC last week. “We have called for the full release of these files repeatedly.”
The depositions will take place in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons live, and the testimony will be filmed and transcribed. Comer said Wednesday that the committee would release those recordings, as it did with last week’s deposition of Ohio retail magnate Les Wexner. The Kentucky Republican said he would be open to a public hearing with the Clintons later, if they want that. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Mychael Schnell contributed reporting.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News. Recommended
