During a 26/2 hearing before the US House Oversight Committee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denied any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's criminal conduct. She stated she did not recall ever meeting him, visiting his private island, or flying on his plane. Clinton also accused the Republican-led committee of attempting to shield President Donald Trump, advocating for him to testify under oath regarding his name appearing tens of thousands of times in Epstein's records.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, who will also question former President Bill Clinton on 27/2, emphasized the investigation's goal is to understand more about Epstein. "We have asked many questions but are not satisfied with the answers we have received," Comer said after the hearing concluded.

Former Secretary of State Clinton speaks after the hearing on 26/2. *AFP*

Clinton's hearing was held behind closed doors, but she posted her opening statement on social media before the event. The full transcript is expected to be released after approval by the former US Secretary of State's lawyers.

Representative Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the US House Oversight Committee, echoed calls for Trump to testify, stating it should happen "immediately" to address questions from victims nationwide.

The Republican-led US House Oversight Committee is investigating individuals connected to Epstein, the pedophile billionaire who died by suicide in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. The Clintons initially declined to testify but reversed their decision after House Republicans threatened contempt of Congress charges.

In her opening statement, Clinton clarified that the committee's request for her testimony was based on the assumption she possessed information regarding Epstein's and Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal activities. "Let me be as clear as possible. I do not," she asserted.

The hearing was briefly halted after a photo of Hillary speaking was posted online, violating the closed-door agreement. Suhas Subramanyam, a Democratic member, called it "unacceptable that Republican members of the committee broke their own rules by releasing images."

After the hearing, Hillary expressed confidence that her husband was unaware of Epstein's criminal acts, including the sexual abuse of minors, during their contact. "I believe, given the timeline, that his relationship with Epstein ended many years before Epstein's criminal activities came to light," she remarked, describing the hearing as "long and repetitive."

Democrats view the investigation as a political tool to target Trump's opponents, rather than a legitimate oversight function.

Both Trump and Bill Clinton, 79, appear in recently released US Department of Justice documents related to Epstein. They maintain they severed ties with Epstein before his 2008 sex crimes conviction in Florida. Mention in records does not equate to guilt.

Bill Clinton admitted to using Epstein's private plane for humanitarian work with the Clinton Foundation but denies ever visiting Epstein's private island, where crimes against minors occurred. The Clinton family requested a public hearing, but the committee insisted on a closed session, which Bill Clinton condemned as a "sham trial."

Epstein, born in 1953, was arrested in New York in July 2019, charged with luring dozens of minors for sexual acts. He faced 45 years in prison if convicted. Epstein denied the charges and was held at Manhattan jail, New York, where he died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial.

Huyen Le (According to AFP)