HAPPENING NOW: The Question Hillary Clinton Will Have To Answer On Epstein

Former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton is set to answer questions under oath on the Jeffrey Epstein investigation before House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) on Thursday morning.

Clinton’s deposition is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. ET and will be held behind closed doors in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons live. Comer and at least 10 other House Republicans are expected to attend the private hearing, Fox News reported. A video and transcription of Clinton’s hearing will be released to the public after it concludes. Comer spoke to reporters briefly before going into the building for the Clinton’s deposition and said the video and transcription will become available “as soon as everyone has approved it.”

“This is going to be a long video because this is going to be a long deposition,” he added.

After the first hour of questioning, some Republicans will go outside to provide an update, Comer said.

Clinton, along with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, fought for months to avoid their depositions after the Oversight Committee subpoenaed them last August, arguing that they could share their limited knowledge of Epstein through written statements to the committee. The Clintons’ lawyers engaged in a long back-and-forth battle with Comer, and the couple skipped their scheduled deposition in January, which sparked contempt-of-Congress proceedings.

But after Republicans and some Democrats voted to recommend contempt charges, the Clintons finally agreed earlier this month to answer questions on Epstein under oath.

“Finally, they’re going to have to sit and answer questions under oath to Congress about their knowledge and involvement with the Epstein criminal activity as well as with Ghislaine Maxwell, who was the primary co-conspirator, the one who was responsible more than anyone for luring the girls into Jeffrey Epstein’s world,” Comer said Thursday morning.

Comer also hinted at an important question Clinton will face during her deposition.

“One of the questions that we all have in both parties is how was Jeffrey Epstein able to surround himself with the most powerful people in the world?” he said. “If you saw Hillary Clinton’s interview a few days ago, she acted like they barely knew Epstein and Maxwell. Well, that’s funny because Epstein was in the White House 16 times while Bill Clinton was president, and then Bill Clinton flew on his plane 27 times post-presidency, as well as Ghislaine Maxwell had a front-row seat at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding.”

The former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee said last week that she doesn’t “recall ever meeting” Epstein, adding that she spoke with Maxwell “on a few occasions.” Clinton said the Oversight Committee’s decision to subpoena her and her husband takes away from what should be the “focus” of the Epstein investigation.

“The Republican member of Congress who is running this hearing, or this investigation, is trying to protect the president,” Clinton said.

President Donald Trump, like former President Clinton, used to be a friend of Epstein’s and was pictured multiple times with Epstein at events before the financier pleaded guilty to procuring a child for prostitution in 2008. Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein’s sex crimes.

Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told reporters that Democrats “from day one … have said we want to talk to anyone, any person with information about Jeffrey Epstein, about his crimes, about how he was able to get so much wealth. We will talk to any single person, whether that is a Democrat or Republican.”

Before he walked into the building for Clinton’s deposition, Garcia added that it is “important to note” that there is “no evidence” of the former secretary of state having any interactions with Epstein. He then blasted the Republicans and the Trump administration, accusing the White House of covering up information related to the Epstein investigation.

Trump and his administration have faced criticism over their handling of the Epstein case and the release of the Epstein files. After Congress passed legislation, which was signed by Trump, forcing the release of Epstein-related documents, the Justice Department began releasing a tranche of documents, emails, and photos, which shed more light on Epstein’s numerous relationships with powerful people.

Included in the DOJ Epstein files dump were multiple pictures of former President Clinton, one of which shows him in a pool with Maxwell and a woman whose face was redacted. Another photo in the files shows the former president in a hot tub with a woman whose face was redacted. The Justice Department has stated that it redacted faces of minors, alleged victims, and some government officials, but the Trump administration was criticized after some photos released to the public showed the faces of potential victims. Other materials that were not properly redacted contained nude photos, names, and addresses. The Justice Department quickly removed thousands of documents following what it called a “technical or human error.”

Neither of the Clintons has been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein’s sex crimes, but Republicans and some Democrats say they want answers about the former president and first lady’s relationship with the late convicted sex offender. Former President Clinton was a friend of Epstein’s in the early 2000s, traveling with the financier numerous times on Epstein’s plane, which was used for sex trafficking. The former president was also seen in a picture getting a back massage from Chauntae Davies, one of Epstein’s accusers. Davies has not accused Clinton of acting inappropriately.

Bill Clinton is set to testify before the Oversight Committee on Friday.