WASHINGTON: Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told lawmakers that she had no information about Jeffrey Epstein's crimes and did not recall ever meeting the disgraced financier, as she sat for a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
"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," Clinton said in prepared remarks shared ahead of her testimony. Clinton appeared under subpoena as part of the Republican-led panel's probe into the federal government's handling of investigations into Epstein, who died in custody in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking, and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, now serving a federal prison sentence.
In her opening statement, Clinton sharply criticized the investigation. She accused the committee of compelling her testimony "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 that the inquiry was "designed to protect one political party and one public official, rather than to seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors."
Clinton said she did not recall ever encountering Epstein and repeated that she had "nothing to add" beyond her sworn declaration in January.
The deposition briefly descended into controversy when a photograph from inside the closed-door session was leaked and posted online. House rules prohibit taking photographs during such proceedings. Clinton later described the leak as "very upsetting, because it suggested that they might violate other terms of our agreements."
She also characterized the questioning as repetitive. "I don't know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein," she told reporters after the session. "It's on the record numerous times."
Representative James R. Comer, the Republican chairman of the committee, defended the probe. "This isn't a partisan witch hunt," Comer said ahead of the deposition, noting that Democrats had voted in favour of holding the Clintons in contempt of Congress after they initially resisted appearing.
Comer said Republicans were not satisfied with some of Clinton's responses and would pursue further questioning when former President Bill Clinton testifies on Friday. (IANS)
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