Hillary Clinton continues to push for public hearing ahead of Epstein probe deposition
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday made it clear that even though she and former President Bill Clinton agreed to a closed-door deposition, they are continuing to push for a public hearing as part of the House Oversight Committee’s probe into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"For six months, we engaged Republicans on the Oversight Committee in good faith. We told them what we know, under oath," she wrote on X. "They ignored all of it. They moved the goalposts and turned accountability into an exercise in distraction."
"So let’s stop the games. If you want this fight, [Rep. James Comer], let’s have it -- in public. You love to talk about transparency. There’s nothing more transparent than a public hearing, cameras on. We will be there," she posted.
In response to Hillary Clinton's comments, the GOP Oversight Committee issued a statement on X Thursday, saying the Clintons are going to "try to spin the facts" and that their lawyers "said their clients accepted the terms of the depositions."
Earlier this week, the Clintons agreed to sit for closed depositions on Epstein after the GOP-led House Oversight Committee threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with its subpoenas relating to Epstein.
Comer, the committee's chairman, announced on Tuesday that Hillary Clinton is scheduled to testify on Feb. 26. Bill Clinton will sit for deposition the following day, Feb. 27.
For months, the Clintons had insisted that the subpoenas were without legal merit. Comer had pushed back, saying the Clintons are not above the law and must comply with a subpoena.
A letter from the Clintons' attorney Jon Skladany to Comer also said an open hearing "will best suit our concerns about fairness," citing the requirement that the interviews be videotaped -- but ultimately left the decision about whether to hold a hearing or a deposition up to Comer.
The subpoenas the committee sent to the Clintons were specifically for a closed-door deposition. That is what will occur, and Comer said a public hearing is welcome after that if the Clintons want to come in.
"The deposition will be made public, it's going to be audio, video and the transcripts will be released," Comer said in an interview on Newsmax on Wednesday.
"Depositions are always the preferred means of getting information from a witness. If you look at history, congressional hearings, they may be entertaining, but they're not very substantive ... So, we're going to do the depositions. That's what the subpoena is for," Comer said. "And after the depositions, if the Clintons want more, they're more than welcome to come to the House Oversight Committee after they're deposed. If they want to testify in a public hearing in front of the Oversight Committee, they are more than welcome to do that."
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, in an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, repeated that he thinks it's a "shame" that the Clintons will sit for depositions.
"It bothers me that somebody is going after Bill Clinton. See, I like Bill Clinton. I still like Bill Clinton," Trump said.
