In congressional testimony, Hillary Clinton calls for Trump to testify under oath on Epstein links

Former US ⁠secretary of state ​Hillary Clinton began testifying behind closed doors on Thursday to a congressional committee ​investigating the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, though it is not clear how much new information will come to light.

She began her testimony by saying she had no knowledge of Epstein's or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes. 

“I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein," Clinton said in an opening statement she shared on social media.

She accused the panel of deposing her to "distract attention" from US President Donald Trump and said the House committee should call Trump to testify about his ties to the late convicted sex offender.

Epstein's death in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on ‌federal sex-trafficking charges was ruled a suicide. 

Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, and her husband, Democratic former president Bill Clinton, have both called for the full release of the Epstein files and say they are being targeted.

"Get the files out. They are slow-walking it," the former US secretary of state told the BBC in an interview earlier this month.

Read more‘Get the files out’: Hillary Clinton slams Trump's Epstein cover-up

The Clintons initially said they wanted to testify publicly and on camera, which was denied. 

They agreed to a closed-door hearing with the House of Representatives Oversight Committee when lawmakers moved to hold them in contempt of Congress.

Hillary Clinton is delivering ​her deposition to the committee in Chappaqua, New York, near the Clintons' main residence.

Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify on Friday.

Hillary Clinton to testify in US House panel's Epstein probe: What to expect?

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A spokesperson for the Clintons did not respond to a request for comment.

Committee ‌chairman James Comer of Kentucky, a Republican, has said transcripts of their interviews will be made public.

Hillary Clinton's ties ​to Epstein are unclear. She has said she never met him but has interacted with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend and confidant, at conferences and social occasions.

Bill Clinton flew on Epstein's plane several times in the early 2000s after he left office. He has denied wrongdoing and expressed regret for his association.

According ​to Comer, Epstein visited the White House 17 times while Clinton was in office.

Trump ​also socialised extensively with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s, ​before his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Comer said evidence gathered by the panel does not implicate Trump.

Trump's ​Justice Department has released more than 3 million pages of Epstein-related documents over the past several months to comply with a law passed by Congress.

The Justice Department sought to draw attention to photos of Bill Clinton, but the documents also have revealed Epstein's ties to ⁠a long list of business and political leaders, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Overseas, ⁠they have prompted ​criminal investigations of Britain's Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Duke of York, and other prominent figures.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters and AP)