Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton urged Republicans on Thursday to conduct her and her husband Bill Clinton’s testimony on financier Jeffrey Epstein in an open forum, accusing the House Oversight Committee of politicizing the inquiry after the couple relented on subpoenas following threats of contempt proceedings.
The Clintons abandoned their six-month defiance of the bipartisan summonses, agreeing to filmed depositions on February 26 and 27, but Hillary Clinton pressed for transparency amid escalating tensions.
“For six months, we engaged Republicans on the Oversight Committee in good faith. We told them what we know, under oath. They ignored all of it. They moved the goalposts and turned accountability into an exercise in distraction,” Clinton said.
She added: “So let’s stop the games. If you want this fight, @RepJamesComer, let’s have it — in public. You love to talk about transparency. There’s nothing more transparent than a public hearing, cameras on.”
Oversight Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, indicated flexibility, saying: “If they get through the depositions and they still want a public hearing, we’ll try to do something.”
A committee spokeswoman rebuffed Clinton’s narrative, stating: “The Clintons are going to Clinton and try to spin the facts since no one is buying their claims. The only ones moving the goalposts are, as usual, the Clintons and their attorneys.”
She emphasized consistency: “These depositions are in accordance with House and Committee rules. All witnesses appearing for interviews as part of our Epstein investigation are being treated fairly and consistently. The Committee has filmed interviews with all witnesses, including former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr and U.S. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta — both of whom are Republican witnesses.”
The standoff revives scrutiny of Epstein’s ties to high-profile figures, with the convicted sex offender’s 2019 death in custody fueling conspiracy theories and ongoing congressional probes into his network.
