Bill Clinton will today give evidence of what he knew about Jeffrey Epstein’s shadowy empire in a hearing that could pose a serious risk for President Donald Trump.
The former Democrat president is appearing in New York before a congressional panel that is investigating the paedophile financier’s dealings and associations.
It comes the day after his wife, the former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, used her own appearance before the panel to accuse Republicans of an Epstein cover-up to protect Trump.
Experts warn that Bill Clinton’s appearance “sets a dangerous precedent for Trump” that could force him to testify regarding his own relations with Epstein, as Democrats seek “revenge” on the President.
After the Clintons initially resisted calls to appear before the House Oversight Committee, denouncing a Republican plot against them, the couple agreed to be grilled by the cross-party panel.
They made themselves available for questioning after the House signalled it could hold them in contempt, which could have led to criminal charges.
The Clintons have always denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, with Bill Clinton saying he had no knowledge of his crimes and broke off contact with the financier two decades ago.
Hillary was first — questioned yesterday for six hours in a highly charged, behind-closed-doors session — telling lawmakers that she had “no idea” about Epstein’s crimes, and criticising the Republicans for refusing to hold the hearing in public.
Hillary Clinton speaks to the press after her a deposition with the House Oversight Committee (Photo: Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images)Releasing a copy of her opening statement on X ahead of the hearing, in Chappaqua, New York, she said: “I do not recall ever encountering Mr Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that.”
Hillary Clinton yesterday accused Republican members of embarking on a “fishing expedition” intended to cover up and deflect attention from Trump’s actions.
Clinton suggested that she had been the victim of “partisan political theatre” that was “an insult to the American people”.
Unlike his wife, Bill Clinton featured heavily in the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice (DoJ), including photos of him swimming with the now-convicted sex trafficker and Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
He also flew on Epstein’s jet at least 16 times between 2002 and 2003, according to a CNN review of flight logs and court documents.
But he has always denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and said he distanced himself from him long before the financier was federally charged in 2019.
Former US president Bill Clinton testifies today (Photo: Kylie Cooper/ Reuters)Why Clintons’ appearance means Trump should worry
Trump himself is referenced in the Epstein files more than 1,000 times, including photos of him with the financier from the years they socialised together in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Trump has always denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, claiming they broke off their relationship in the mid 2000s – before the paedophile was convicted of soliciting prostitution with a minor in 2008.
However, the White House’s months-long resistance to releasing the files, and the committee’s failure to investigate Trump and his allies — including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — over their Epstein links have fuelled accusations that its actions are politically motivated.
Dr David Andersen, associate professor in US politics at Durham University, said that while Bill Clinton faced serious pressure, similar scrutiny might be looming for Trump.
“Having them forced to testify now sets a dangerous precedent for the future that is going to put Trump in jeopardy,” he said.
“If and when Democrats recapture the House, they will certainly use this as a precedent to compel Trump, Melania, and the rest of the Trump family to testify before them, particularly after Trump leaves office.
“Democrats will revel in the opportunity to drag President Trump before a committee that will systematically go through the various scandals that Trump has been able to remain immune from currently.
Trump with his now wife Melania, Jeffrey Epstein and his madam, the now-convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, in Florida in 1997 (Photo: Davidoff Studios/Getty)“They will see this as revenge… but it sets up a dynamic where all future presidents may have to fear their post-presidency and the investigations they will face.”
Dr Fabian Hilfrich, a senior lecturer in American history at the University of Edinburgh, said that the panel could subpoena Trump “just like they did with the Clintons”.
However, Trump’s rivals hoping to see him testify face a key obstacle: the committee is chaired by James Comer, a Republican.
Dr Hilfrich said: “[Having Comer as committee chair], absolutely it makes it less likely that Trump will be subpoenaed.
“So far, I doubt the chair would stick their neck out unless the public pressure is so strong that it becomes a political problem.
“What we would say so far is that the files are not going away and they remain Trump’s problem, but they are other people’s problem right now.”
That pressure, he said, was already coming in the form of questions around whether the DoJ was withholding millions more Epstein files that could be damaging to Trump.
Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, has accused the Justice Department of withholding files containing allegations of sexual abuse of a minor made against President Donald Trump.
Garcia, who as a congressman has been able to view the unredacted files, said documents he had seen “make it clear” that a woman “made additional, specific allegations” against Trump that “are not reflected” in publicly available records.
The DoJ responded by saying that “NOTHING has been deleted”, adding that documents were only withheld if they were “duplicates, privileged, or part of an ongoing federal investigation”.
The Justice Department has released a trove of 3.5 million files relating to the Epstein estate. Earlier this month, the deputy attorney general said three million pages had been withheld.
The files’ release only came after Congress forced the President to do so by law after he refused to publish them. Many of the files were heavily redacted.
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