Former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have urged that their congressional testimony regarding their connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein be conducted in public, arguing that closed-door sessions would allow Republicans to politicise the process.
Both have been summoned to give private depositions before the House Oversight Committee, which is examining Epstein’s relationships with influential figures and how authorities handled information about his criminal activities.
According to a statement from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Hillary Clinton is scheduled to testify on February 26, with Bill Clinton following on February 27.
Democrats contend that the investigation is being used as a political weapon against critics of President Donald Trump, who himself had a long-standing association with Epstein but has not been asked to testify. They argue the inquiry is straying from genuine oversight into partisan territory.
House Republicans had earlier warned that they could move to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress if they refused to appear. The couple has since agreed to comply with the summons.
However, Bill Clinton cautioned on Friday that secret proceedings would resemble a “kangaroo court.”
“Let’s stop the games & do this the right way: in a public hearing,” the former Democratic president wrote on X.
Hillary Clinton echoed the sentiment, stating that the pair had already informed the Republican-led Oversight Committee “what we know.”
Cache Of Files
The renewed scrutiny follows the Justice Department’s release last week of a massive trove of so-called Epstein files, comprising more than three million documents, photographs, and videos linked to the investigation into Epstein, who died by suicide while in custody in 2019.
Bill Clinton’s name appears frequently in the files, though no evidence has emerged linking either him or Hillary Clinton to criminal wrongdoing.
The former president has previously confirmed that he flew on Epstein’s plane in the early 2000s in connection with humanitarian work for the Clinton Foundation, but has consistently said he never visited Epstein’s private island.
Hillary Clinton, who was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016, has maintained that she had no substantive interactions with Epstein, did not travel on his aircraft, and never went to his island.
What you should know
The Clintons are pushing for transparency as congressional scrutiny over Jeffrey Epstein’s network intensifies.
While Republicans insist on closed-door depositions, Democrats fear the process could be used to score political points rather than uncover facts. Despite frequent mentions of Bill Clinton in newly released Epstein-related files, no evidence has tied either Clinton to criminal conduct.
The dispute reflects broader partisan tensions over how Epstein’s connections to powerful figures are being investigated and presented to the public.