As a Congressional investigation into connections with Jeffrey Epstein gathers momentum, United States lawmakers turn their attention to former president Bill Clinton on Friday, a day after his wife Hillary, former US secretary of state, appeared before the House Oversight Committee.
Clinton is set to face questioning from a Congressional panel on Friday over his links to the late financier, as Democrats seek to redirect attention towards Donald Trump’s connections to the convicted sex offender, who died by suicide in 2019.
Clinton appears extensively in the latest tranche of Epstein-related documents released by the US Department of Justice. The former president has repeatedly maintained that he severed ties with Epstein well before the billionaire’s 2008 conviction for sex offences.
Inclusion in the files does not imply wrongdoing, and Clinton has neither been accused of a crime nor formally investigated.
His testimony follows that of his wife Hillary, who spent more than six hours answering questions behind closed doors on Thursday in Chappaqua, New York.
In a defiant opening statement, she said she had “no idea” about Epstein’s or Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes and did not recall ever encountering Epstein.
“Like every decent person, I have been horrified by what we have learned about their crimes,” she said.
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Conspiracy theories
Hillary Clinton used her appearance to firmly deny any knowledge of Epstein’s activities while also offering additional context about her limited interactions with those involved.
She reiterated that she had never flown on Epstein’s plane nor visited his private island.
While she acknowledged meeting Maxwell at Clinton Foundation events, she described her as no more than an acquaintance and said Maxwell had attended her daughter Chelsea’s 2010 wedding as someone else’s guest.
She told reporters that, at one stage in the questioning, a Republican lawmaker had pressed her on what she described as “vile, bogus conspiracy theories” – which have resurfaced since the release of the Epstein files.
The session was briefly disrupted when a Republican lawmaker sent a photograph from the closed-door proceedings to a conservative influencer, prompting renewed Democratic calls for the release of full transcripts and video. Committee chair James Comer later said he would move quickly to make those materials public.
Political tensions
Clinton also used her testimony to challenge the direction of the investigation itself, accusing Republicans of conducting a one-sided probe.
“This institutional failure is designed to protect one political party and one public official,” she said, renewing calls for President Trump to testify under oath.
Democrats argue that the inquiry is being weaponised to target Trump’s political opponents, rather than to carry out a genuine investigation. At the same time, pressure for transparency around Epstein has become a powerful force across party lines.
The Clintons had initially resisted subpoenas, offering instead to provide sworn statements. However, they agreed to testify after Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress – a move that also drew support from some Democrats, seeking to demonstrate a commitment to accountability.
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Rare spectacle
Attention now turns to Bill Clinton, who is seen by Republicans as a central figure in the political battle over Epstein’s legacy.
Unlike his wife, he has acknowledged multiple interactions with Epstein, including several flights on the financier’s private jet in the early 2000s linked to Clinton Foundation humanitarian work. He has consistently denied ever visiting Epstein’s Caribbean island.
Newly released materials have added to the scrutiny. Previously unseen photographs included in the Justice Department files show Clinton reclining in a hot tub and another image appearing to place him alongside Maxwell.
Epstein, who cultivated relationships with powerful figures across politics, business and entertainment, was convicted in 2008 for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14. He died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, with his death ruled a suicide.
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The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is seeking to understand not only Epstein’s network but also how he amassed his wealth and avoided more serious federal charges for years.
David Markus, an attorney for Maxwell, has said both Clinton and Trump are “innocent of any wrongdoing”.
Dozens of journalists have gathered in Chappaqua, New York state, for the rare spectacle of a former president compelled to testify before Congress, with security tightened around the venue.
Comer signalled a more pointed line of questioning ahead, saying after Hillary Clinton’s testimony that lawmakers had “a lot of questions for her husband tomorrow”.
(with newswires)
