Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are scheduled to be deposed this week as part of a congressional investigation into their ties to convicted child predator Jeffrey Epstein.
Hillary Clinton is set to testify Thursday, with Bill Clinton expected to appear Friday.
The depositions come after Republicans threatened contempt proceedings if the pair refused to cooperate.
If completed as planned, Friday’s testimony would mark the first time a former president has been compelled to testify in a congressional investigation against his will.
Focus on Flights and Photos
Republican lawmakers say they intend to question Bill Clinton extensively about his relationship with Epstein, particularly in light of documents released by the Justice Department last month.
The files reportedly detail a relationship that spanned from the early 1990s into the early 2000s.
Central to the inquiry are Bill Clinton’s flights aboard Epstein’s private jet.
The former president has maintained that any travel was connected solely to charitable work.
Republicans are also expected to press Clinton on newly released photographs that allegedly show him swimming with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and sitting in a hot tub with an unidentified woman.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) told the Daily Mail:
“Bill in a pool, Bill on the plane, I think there needs to be a comprehensive review.”
“I think what the American people are looking for right now is true accountability from people in power who were a part of sexualizing and abusing young women,” Donalds added.
Bill Clinton has denied wrongdoing. Hillary Clinton has also denied any misconduct, stating she never met Epstein, though she has acknowledged meeting Maxwell.
Republicans Brace for Combative Testimony
Some Republicans anticipate resistance from the Clintons during questioning.
Rep. John McGuire (R-VA) told the Daily Mail: “No matter what we do, I think they are going to plead the fifth or play games, but we are going to give them the facts and expose them to the American people.”
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) said he hopes the depositions will shed light on others in Epstein’s orbit.
“I’d like to know more about the people around Epstein, because maybe they will shed a light on what Bill was doing when he had contact with Epstein, and maybe give us the names of some more of the little people who know what’s going on,” Grothman said.
“We know that there are people out there who have said that they saw Bill on Epstein Island … we would like to track that down,” he added.
“Shouldn’t we, for history’s purposes?”
Survivor Calls for Broad Questioning
Dani Bensky, an Epstein survivor who attended Tuesday’s State of the Union as a guest of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), said that lawmakers should take a wide-ranging approach.
She said, “It’s really broad strokes” that lawmakers should use when questioning the Clintons.
“I think anything that they know about, anything that they were even around for, I think they really just need to talk about every event they ever attended,” Bensky said, adding that the more information the Clintons provide, “the better.”
Clinton Foundation Questions
According to reports tied to the released files, Epstein and Maxwell may have played roles in facilitating connections related to the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative.
Maxwell previously testified in a bipartisan congressional investigation into the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein case, during which she invoked the Fifth Amendment.
In a recent BBC interview, Hillary Clinton said she and her husband are “more than happy to say what we know, which is very limited and totally unrelated to their behavior or their crimes.”
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said in a statement that “the Clintons’ testimony is critical to understanding Epstein and Maxwell’s sex trafficking network and the ways they sought to curry favor and influence to shield themselves from scrutiny.”
“Their testimony may also inform how Congress can strengthen laws to better combat human trafficking,” Comer added.
“Our goal for this investigation is straightforward: we seek to deliver transparency and accountability for the American people and for survivors.”
The depositions mark the latest chapter in the ongoing congressional probe into Epstein’s network and the powerful figures who associated with him, an investigation Republicans say is far from over.
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