Former President Bill Clinton makes case for public hearing in House Epstein probe
Former President Bill Clinton, in a series of social media posts on Friday, made a renewed push for a public hearing as part of the House Oversight Committee’s probe into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did the same earlier this week.
"I have called for the full release of the Epstein files. I have provided a sworn statement of what I know. And just this week, I’ve agreed to appear in person before the committee. But it’s still not enough for Republicans on the House Oversight Committee," Bill Clinton wrote on X.
"I will not sit idly as they use me as a prop in a closed-door kangaroo court by a Republican Party running scared. If they want answers, let’s stop the games & do this the right way: in a public hearing, where the American people can see for themselves what this is really about," he added.
The Clintons have agreed to sit for closed-door depositions as part of the panel's Epstein probe after the GOP-led House panel threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with its subpoenas relating to Epstein. The subpoenas explicitly called for depositions, not public hearings.
Rep. James Comer, the committee's chairman, said Hillary Clinton is scheduled to sit for deposition on Feb. 26. Bill Clinton will appear the following day, Feb. 27, Comer said.
A letter from the Clintons' attorney, Jon Skladany, to Comer also said an open hearing "will best suit our concerns about fairness," but ultimately left the decision about whether to hold a hearing or a deposition up to Comer.
Comer has said the closed-door depositions will be taped, and that the video and transcripts will be made public. Comer also told Newsmax that if the Clintons still wanted to testify in a public hearing after that, they would be welcome to do so.
Bill Clinton, in his posts on X on Friday, criticized the arrangements.
"Who benefits from this arrangement? It’s not Epstein’s victims, who deserve justice. Not the public, who deserve the truth. It serves only partisan interests. This is not fact-finding, it’s pure politics," he wrote.
Neither Bill Clinton nor Hillary Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing and both deny having any knowledge of Epstein's crimes. No Epstein survivor or associate has ever made a public allegation of wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior by the former president or his wife in connection with his prior relationship with Epstein.
President Donald Trump has said he thinks it's a "shame" that the Clintons are being called by lawmakers to testify.
"It bothers me that somebody is going after Bill Clinton. See, I like Bill Clinton. I still like Bill Clinton," Trump told NBC News in a wide-ranging interview earlier this week.
