Former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are calling for their upcoming congressional testimony on ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to be held publicly, warning that closed-door proceedings could be politicized by Republicans.
The couple had been ordered to give private depositions before the House Oversight Committee, which is investigating Epstein’s connections to influential figures and the handling of information regarding his crimes. Hillary Clinton is scheduled to testify on February 26, followed by Bill Clinton on February 27, the committee announced in a statement.
Democrats have argued that the probe is being used to target opponents of President Donald Trump—himself a longtime associate of Epstein, who has not been called to testify—rather than to conduct legitimate oversight.
Republicans had threatened a contempt vote if the Clintons failed to appear, but the couple agreed to comply. Still, Bill Clinton said that holding the sessions in private would be akin to a “kangaroo court.” “Let’s stop the games & do this the right way: in a public hearing,” he wrote on X.
Hillary Clinton added that they have already provided the committee with all the information they know.
The Justice Department last week released a new batch of more than three million documents, photos, and videos related to the Epstein investigation. While Bill Clinton appears in many of the files, there is no evidence linking either of the Clintons to any criminal activity.
Bill Clinton has acknowledged traveling on Epstein’s plane in the early 2000s for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work but denies ever visiting Epstein’s private island. Hillary Clinton said she had no meaningful interactions with Epstein, never flew on his plane, and never visited his island.
