(Washington) Former head of American diplomacy Hillary Clinton did not appear on Wednesday before a congressional committee which wanted to question her about the past links between her relatives and the sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, risking prosecution like her husband, ex-president Bill Clinton.
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Her husband had in fact already refused the day before to respond to a similar summons before a powerful committee of the House of Representatives.
The Republican head of this commission, James Comer, announced to the press on Wednesday that a procedure for obstructing Congress’ investigative prerogatives would be initiated against the couple, before possible prosecution by the Department of Justice.
In a letter published Tuesday, Bill and Hillary Clinton announced their refusal to appear at the hearings and asserted that the subpoenas issued to them were “legally invalid.”
The couple also criticized James Comer’s handling of the commission’s investigation, accusing him of attacking political opponents rather than seeking the truth.
“We have tried to give you what little information we have. We did it because Mr. Epstein’s crimes were horrific,” they say.
A figure of the New York jet set, Jeffrey Epstein is accused of having sexually exploited more than a thousand young women, including minors.
He was found hanged in his New York cell in 2019 before his trial for sex crimes. His death has fueled countless conspiracy theories that he was murdered to protect high-profile figures.
During his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump said he agreed to make the file public. But since his return to power, the Republican has been reluctant to publish it and has been accused even by his supporters of a lack of transparency.
Bill Clinton, who traveled several times aboard the financier’s private jet and was photographed numerous times in his company, claimed in 2019 to have not spoken to Jeffrey Epstein for more than a decade. The ex-president has also always denied having any knowledge of his crimes.
At the end of December, after months of delay, the Trump government began publishing thousands of photos, videos and texts about the wealthy financier.
But the entire file has not yet been made public as required by a law promulgated in November, and many published files have been largely redacted, including a document completely blacked out on 119 pages.
