Former President Bill Clinton has called for a public hearing following his announcement, along with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that they will testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee regarding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Clinton's appeal for transparency comes a day after Hillary Clinton made a similar request. She is set to testify on February 26, with the former president scheduled to follow on February 27. Both have urged Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) to ensure their depositions are recorded on video.
“I refuse to be used as a prop in a closed-door kangaroo court by a Republican Party that is clearly intimidated,” Bill Clinton stated on the social media platform X. “If they seek answers, let’s cease the games and conduct this properly: in a public hearing, where the American people can witness the proceedings firsthand.”
He emphasized the need for the “full release” of the Department of Justice’s files related to Epstein and confirmed his willingness to appear before the committee in person.
“However, this still seems insufficient for Republicans on the House Oversight Committee,” he added.
The former president criticized Comer for wanting to conduct proceedings “only behind closed doors.”
“Who benefits from this arrangement?” Clinton questioned. “It is certainly not Epstein’s victims, who deserve justice, nor the public, who deserve the truth. This serves only partisan interests. This is not a quest for facts; it is pure politics.”
Comer previously rejected their request for a closed-door deposition in New York, as well as written testimony. The Clintons agreed to the proposed dates after Comer indicated he might initiate a House vote to consider holding them in contempt of Congress.
The Oversight Committee chair stated that a public hearing would be arranged following the Clintons' depositions, asserting on X just hours before Bill Clinton's public appeal that the investigation “is not dictated by the Clintons. Depositions will be on video for all to observe.”
Clinton spokesperson Angel Ureña commented on Friday that Comer “has finally emerged from hiding and accepted the proposal for a public hearing.”
“They look forward to engaging with his questions and responding in a public forum where every American can listen to the dialogue and form their own conclusions regarding the true nature of this inquiry,” Ureña stated.
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