Former President Bill Clinton has testified that he did not advocate for President Donald Trump to be subpoenaed in Congress's extensive Jeffrey Epstein investigation, asserting he was unaware of any illicit activities. The House Oversight Committee conducted depositions with both Bill and Hillary Clinton last week to scrutinise their connections to and awareness of Epstein's actions.
Deposition Videos Released
The committee publicly released previously unseen videos of the lengthy depositions on Monday afternoon. In one segment, Congressman Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the panel from California, pressed Clinton on whether Trump should be compelled to testify via subpoena.
Clinton's Response to Subpoena Question
Clinton, 79, turned the inquiry back on Garcia, stating, 'That's for you to decide, but he (Trump) did know him well, and I once had a brief discussion with him about it.' After Garcia thanked him and a silence ensued, Clinton interjected with clarification, noting the lack of a follow-up question.
'I hate this,' Clinton remarked following the pause. 'But since there was no follow-up question, he's never, the president, never, this is 20-something years ago, never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper.'
Details of the Trump Conversation
Clinton described his sole discussion with Trump about Epstein, which occurred in the early 2000s. He recounted that Trump knew he had flown on Epstein's private jet at the time.
'It was on his golf course,' Clinton began, explaining they were participating in a celebrity golf tournament for Joe Torre, the former New York Yankees general manager. 'And the day I was there, he would typically, Donald Trump, would come out and play a few holes with us, and he somehow knew I had flown on Jeffrey Epstein's aircraft.'
Clinton testified that Trump commented, 'you know, we had some great times together over the years, but we fell out all because of a real estate deal. And he said, I'm sorry, it happened. That's all.'
Reiteration of No Wrongdoing
Later in the deposition, Clinton reiterated his position, emphasising that Trump did not indicate any misconduct. 'You know, as I said earlier, the only conversation I had with President Trump about this was in the early 2000s, and I have no information who had that he did anything wrong.'
The testimony underscores the ongoing congressional efforts to unravel associations with Epstein, the infamous sex offender, and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who were photographed with Clinton at the White House. This remains a developing story with potential updates as the investigation progresses.
