Former US President Bill Clinton stated on Friday during questioning in the Jeffrey Epstein sexual offender case before the House Oversight Committee that he had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes and did nothing wrong. Reuters reports this, writes UNN.
Details
In a prepared statement, Clinton told the House Oversight Committee that he would not have flown on the late financier's plane if he had known about his alleged sex trafficking of underage girls, and would have reported him if he had found out.
We are only here because he hid it from everyone for so long and so skillfully
As the publication notes, Clinton flew on Epstein's plane several times in the early 2000s after the end of his term and before Epstein's conviction in 2008 for engaging minors in prostitution. A batch of millions of documents released by the Department of Justice includes photos of Clinton with women whose faces are blurred.
I saw nothing and did nothing wrong
His testimony followed that of his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who told the committee on Thursday that she did not recall ever meeting Epstein and had nothing to say about his sexual crimes.
She also noted that during the seven-hour session, she was asked about UFOs and a 2016 conspiracy theory.
Republican James Comer of Kentucky, the committee's chairman, has repeatedly stated that the Clintons are not accused of wrongdoing but should answer questions about Epstein's involvement in their charitable activities.
During a break in the testimony, Comer told reporters that Clinton told the committee that Donald Trump never said anything that would lead him to believe that the Republican president was involved in criminal activity with Epstein.
Democrats on the committee noted that this was not an entirely accurate characterization and that it raised questions about Trump's previous statements. They said the committee should subpoena Trump for testimony — an idea Comer rejected. "President Clinton's presence here under oath highlights the enormous gap in Comer's investigation into Donald Trump," said Democrat James Walkinshaw of Virginia.
Democrats also accuse the Trump Justice Department of withholding documents regarding a woman who accused Trump of sexual assault when she was a minor. The Justice Department said it is reviewing the materials and will release them if appropriate, and also warned that the materials contain unsubstantiated allegations against Trump.
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Trump's name frequently appears in the Epstein files. He actively communicated with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s and claims to have severed contact before Epstein's conviction in 2008. Authorities have not charged him with criminal offenses related to Epstein, but this connection has haunted him for decades.
At the White House, Trump expressed sympathy for the Democratic Clinton. "I don't like to see him questioned," Trump said. "But they certainly treated me much tougher."
The Clintons agreed to testify near their primary residence in Chappaqua, New York, after the House threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress. Some Democrats supported the move.
The Clintons accuse Republicans of conducting a partisan action aimed at protecting Trump from scrutiny, noting that other participants in the investigation had the opportunity to provide written statements instead of personal testimony.
Epstein died in prison in 2019 while facing federal charges of child sex trafficking. His death was ruled a suicide.
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