Republican members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee emphasized the bipartisan demand for Hillary Clinton to share what she knows about Jeffrey Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, ahead of the former secretary of State’s closed-door deposition Thursday morning.
Committee Chair James Comer of Kentucky — flanked by Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Michael Cloud of Texas, John McGuire of Virginia and Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, alongside South Carolina Reps. Nancy Mace and William Timmons — told reporters in Chappaqua, New York, that they are focused on better understanding Epstein’s accumulation of wealth and social cachet.
“This isn’t a partisan witch hunt,” said Comer. “This was a motion — a bipartisan motion, supported by the Democrats — to bring the Clintons in. So I don’t think it’s any type of being unfair in any way to the Clintons. They’ve never answered questions, unlike President Trump, who gets questioned every day by just about every one of you about his knowledge or involvement with Epstein.”
Neither Hillary Clinton nor her husband — former President Bill Clinton, who will be deposed by the committee Friday — have been accused of any wrongdoing. They also have denied knowledge of any sex offenses by Epstein and Maxwell.
Hillary Clinton, who has said she does not recall meeting Epstein, previously accused the Oversight panel of trying to shift focus away from President Donald Trump’s documented associations with Epstein. Bill Clinton has acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane on several occasions but has said he never visited Epstein’s private island.
Comer clarified that the panel is not accusing Hillary Clinton of wrongdoing but noted that emails released by the Department of Justice as part of its Epstein files disclosure showed that Epstein and Maxwell discussed support for the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative.
Democratic members of the Oversight panel, also addressing reporters Thursday morning, emphasized their interest in questioning anyone who appears to have close associations with Epstein but voiced concerns that their Republican colleagues are using the Clintons’ depositions for political gain.
“Let’s get President Trump in front of our committee to answer the questions that are being asked across this country, from survivors, from those have been brutally attacked and raped — sometimes as children,” said Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the panel’s top Democrat.
He was joined by Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona and Reps. Suhas Subramanyam and James Walkinshaw, both of Virginia.
Thursday’s deposition marks one of the most high-profile moments to date in the committee’s Epstein probe, as lawmakers seek to demonstrate momentum in an investigation that has drawn intense public attention but has yet to produce criminal charges.
For House Republicans, the testimony also serves as a test of how far the committee is willing — or able — to push an inquiry that has so far generated no prosecutions.
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