The former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is sitting for her deposition with the House Oversight Committee today. Members of the Republican-led House committee are scheduled to question her on Thursday as part of a significant move in their investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The recent revelation of in-person interviews follows months of bitter back-and-forth between the former first couple and the committee. Their depositions were initially scheduled for October, but the Clintons have given the panel the runaround since then. They have now finally agreed to bear witness; Hillary Clinton is being questioned today, and Bill Clinton’s deposition is scheduled for Friday. At least 10 Republican members are expected to attend the depositions in New York.
In a sworn deposition submitted to the committee on Jan.13, Hillary Clinton denied any personal knowledge of crimes committed by Epstein or his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. She has also said “ she never had any responsibility for or involvement with the Justice Department’s investigations.
Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump, has further clarified that she has little information to offer the panel about Epstein. She has accused the committee of using her and her husband to try to divert attention from Trump’s ties to Epstein.
At present, it remains unclear whether Hillary Clinton-who did not her husband on those trips, ever personally met Epstein. Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to a state charge of soliciting a minor in 2008 and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. While she maintains she never met him, some reports suggest they have been introduced by a mutual friend after Bill Clinton left office in 2001.
In a statement released on Monday, Chairman Comer said that Clinton’s testimony is crucial to understanding Epstein and Maxwell’s sex trafficking network, as well as the ways they sought to influence to shield themselves from scrutiny.
Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the committee said: “There is a lot of evidence that points in a certain direction around Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement with foreign governments. I think those are questions that I certainly have and that I’ll be asking.”
