Hillary Clinton has accused the Trump administration of a “cover-up” over the Jeffrey Epstein files, claiming that she and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, are being forced to testify before Congress to divert attention from Donald Trump.
Speaking at the Munich security conference, Clinton said the US Department of Justice was “slow-walking” the release of documents relating to Epstein’s crimes, despite a congressional mandate. She urged the administration to “get the files out”, noting that about 3 million files are still being withheld.
Both Clintons are scheduled to give sworn depositions before the House oversight committee, with Hillary appearing on 26 February and Bill the following day. It will be the first appearance by a former president before a congressional panel in over 40 years. Hillary argued that they were being treated unfairly, as other witnesses were allowed to provide written statements under oath. “Why do they want to pull us into this? To divert attention from President Trump,” she said.
Trump, mentioned thousands of times in the released files, told reporters he had been “totally exonerated”, dismissing Clinton’s comments as “Trump derangement syndrome”. Bill Clinton, who is also featured in the files, denies wrongdoing and has called for full disclosure. The released files include a photograph of him with Epstein and a person described as a victim.
Hillary Clinton said she had never met Epstein but had met his associate Ghislaine Maxwell “on a few occasions”. She stressed that she and her husband have nothing to hide and have repeatedly called for the files to be released publicly. “Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” she added.
