Hillary Clinton is set to testify behind closed doors before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Her appearance will be followed the next day by a deposition of former President Bill Clinton, according to people familiar with the schedule.
The Clintons initially rejected subpoenas ordering them to testify, but agreed after House Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress. The depositions are being conducted in Chappaqua, New York, where the couple resides.
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The inquiry, which committee Republicans say seeks to clarify how Epstein cultivated influence among powerful figures, has sharpened partisan tensions. Democrats call the effort a weaponization of oversight to target political opponents of Donald Trump. Trump, a former Epstein associate who has not been called to testify, has said he cut ties with Epstein before the financier’s 2008 sex-offense conviction in Florida.
The Clintons pressed for their interviews to be public, but the committee insisted on closed-door questioning. Bill Clinton denounced the decision as “pure politics” and likened the process to a “kangaroo court.” “If they want answers, let’s stop the games and do this the right way: in a public hearing, where the American people can see for themselves what this is really about,” he said on X.
In an interview with the BBC last week, Hillary Clinton said she and her husband “have nothing to hide.” She said she never met Epstein and encountered Maxwell “on a few occasions,” while arguing Republicans are trying to deflect scrutiny from Trump by summoning the Clintons. “Look at this shiny object,” she said.
Bill Clinton has acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane several times in the early 2000s for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian travel, but he has said he never visited Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean.
Maxwell remains the only person convicted in connection with Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation. The former socialite is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence. Appearing via video link before the House Oversight Committee earlier this month, she refused to answer questions, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Her attorney, David Markus, said Maxwell would be prepared to speak publicly if granted presidential clemency and asserted that both Trump and Bill Clinton are “innocent of any wrongdoing.” Those statements reflect Maxwell’s defense position; neither man has been charged with crimes related to Epstein.
Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, built a network of ties to business executives, politicians, celebrities and academics. The release of documents and correspondence from his dealings has reverberated for years, damaging reputations and prompting resignations across sectors. Apart from Maxwell, however, no other associate has faced criminal prosecution in connection with Epstein’s crimes.
The committee has not said when it might release transcripts of the Clintons’ depositions. The panel’s decision to proceed behind closed doors suggests any public disclosures will come later, heightening the political stakes for a probe that has already polarized Washington.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
