Twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Thursday accused the GOP-led House Oversight Committee of using her to “distract” from President Donald Trump during her high-stakes testimony in Congress’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
“A committee endeavoring to stop human trafficking would seek to understand what specific steps are needed to fix a system that allowed Epstein to get away with his crimes in 2008,” she is telling the panel, according to her opening remarks.
“But that’s not happening. Instead, you have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract attention from President Trump’s actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers,” she added.
Clinton is telling lawmakers, “As I stated in my sworn declaration on January 13, I had no idea about their criminal activities.”
“I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that,” her remarks state.
“Like every decent person, I have been horrified by what we have learned about their crimes. It’s unfathomable that Mr. Epstein initially got a slap on the wrist in 2008, which allowed him to continue his predatory practices for another decade.”
The House Oversight Committee is officially starting its deposition on Thursday morning after months of back-and-forth.
“No one’s accusing, at this moment, the Clintons of any wrongdoing. They’re going to have due process,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters shortly before it began. “But we have a lot of questions, and the purpose of the whole investigation is to try to understand many things about Epstein.”
Hillary Clinton’s deposition is the day before her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will also testify before the panel.
“Today will be a long deposition, I would assume, and tomorrow will be an even longer deposition,” Comer said.
The committee’s staff and members from both parties went to Chappaqua, New York, the Clintons’ hometown, for the two-day event.
The GOP-led panel and the lawyers for the former first couple made this deal so that they could be there in person.
In addition to their staff, lawmakers on both sides will be able to question Hillary Clinton.
Fox News learned that Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., will be the first lawmaker to ask the former first lady and Obama administration official questions.
Mace was one of four House Republicans who were able to get a vote late last year to get the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release files on Epstein, even though GOP leaders were against it.
The Republican from South Carolina, who is running for governor of the Palmetto State, told reporters on Thursday that she would also be asking Hillary Clinton about Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and other people who have been linked to Epstein.
Comer told reporters that she would also be asked about her relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, who helped Epstein. She pointed out that Maxwell was at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in 2010, after the first allegations against Epstein came to light.
He also said that Epstein and Maxwell’s connections to the nonprofit Clinton Foundation would be looked into.
“Again, we’re not accusing Hillary Clinton of wrongdoing. We know that Jeffrey Epstein said many times in emails that he was the first person to raise money for the Clinton initiative, the Clinton Foundation, that he solicited money at some of his properties for the Clinton Foundation,” Comer said.
“Again, that’s not saying anything illegal, but there are a lot of questions pertaining to Secretary Clinton with respect to Epstein and his involvement in the Clinton initiative and her relationship with with Ghislaine Maxwell.”
But Clinton’s prepared remarks show that she accused Republicans of going on a “fishing expedition” to find information that isn’t there.
“If this committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press giggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement. It would ask him directly, under oath, about the tens of thousands of times who showed up in the Epstein files. If the majority was serious, it would not waste time on fishing expeditions. There is too much that needs to be done,” her remarks said.
No one has accused either of the Clintons or Trump of doing anything wrong with Epstein.
The names of both the current and former presidents, as well as other famous people like Bill Gates and Leslie Wexner, are mentioned many times in the Epstein files.
