What happened during Hillary Clinton’s closed-door hearing regarding Jeffrey Epstein

Jeff Bennett:

Welcome to the News Hour.

Members of the Republican-led House Oversight Committee questioned Hillary Clinton for more than six hours today as part of its investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The former secretary of state told lawmakers she had no information about Epstein’s criminal activities.

Amna Nawaz:

During a closed session, Clinton said she also did not remember ever meeting Mr. Epstein or ever traveling on his plane or visiting his island, homes or offices.

Today’s meeting was the first of two days of closed-door testimony before the House Oversight Committee for both Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky):

There were a lot of questions we asked and we weren’t satisfied with the answers we got, but we will keep moving forward.

Amna Nawaz:

Democrats on the committee said their Republican colleagues did not take the briefing seriously.

Rep. Yasmin Ansari (D-Arizona):

Today, we sit in an incredibly unserious clown show, where GOP members of Congress are more interested in getting Secretary Clinton’s image than they are in getting to the truth and holding anyone accountable.

Amna Nawaz:

Neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton have been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein’s crimes, but Bill Clinton has said he previously had a professional relationship with the convicted sex offender.

For more on today’s testimony, I’m joined now by Justice Correspondent Ali Rogin.

So, Ali, today’s session was behind closed doors between Clinton and members of the committee. What have we learned today about any connections between Secretary Clinton and Epstein?

Ali Rogin:

Well, Amna, Hillary Clinton just came to the microphones and spoke to the media following today’s proceedings. She answered the questions the best she could. She described the day as long and repetitive, and maintained that she never met Jeffrey Epstein and that she was not aware of his crimes or those of Ghislaine Maxwell.

She also said that at the end of the questioning today, it took an unusual turn and she talked about — she was asked about things like UFOs and Pizzagate, that scandal from Trump’s first campaign season.

We want to play you a clip of what she said today.

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, FORMER US SECRETARY OF STATE: I answered every one of their questions as fully as I could based on what I know. What I do know is what I said in my statement this morning.

I never met Jeffrey Epstein, and I never had any contact or communication with him.

Ali Rogin:

Amna, the committee members also said that Hillary Clinton today gave them suggestions for other people to try to remove. Committee Chairman James Comer said she repeatedly answered questions by saying, “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask my husband.”

Amna Nawaz:

Well, we’ve heard the Clintons and their representatives say that House Republicans here are operating in what they call partisan political theater. And at some point today, there was some discrepancy between them, between the Clintons and the Republicans on the committee. Tell us about it.

Ali Rogin:

This is correct.

During — just before the meeting began, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert took a photo of Clinton and apparently sent it to a MAGA influencer, Penny Johnson, who posted it on X. Robert Garcia, a member of the Oversight Committee, said everyone in the room was surprised by this apparent violation of committee rules.

So the proceedings were paused, then back on track.

Amna Nawaz:

So, this testimony and this hearing comes after months of negotiations with the Clinton family. Just remind us how we got to this moment.

Ali Rogin:

This hearing has been scheduled for a long time. Initially, the Clintons sought to argue that this subpoena was invalid and could not be enforced.

The committee then moved toward a full House vote on contempt of Congress. Then the Clintons said they would testify, but only publicly. Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said he would interview them the same way everyone else on that panel was interviewed, which is on closed video, with the video and transcript released later.

And apparently they’ve come to a decision, Amna, because these members have made their way to Chappaqua, New York, today and tomorrow.

Amna Nawaz:

They heard from Secretary Clinton today. Tomorrow, they’ll hear from former President Bill Clinton. Is this correct?

Ali Rogin:

This is correct.

Although his mention in the files does not, of course, suggest wrongdoing, it is certain that Bill Clinton had a closer relationship with both Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell than did Hillary. Epstein visited the White House while Clinton was in office. Clinton traveled and communicated with them, as evidenced by numerous photos released over the months from Epstein’s files, with Clinton’s spokesman asserting that Bill Clinton knew nothing about either individual’s crimes.

As for the rest of the witness docket, this committee will also hear from Epstein’s accountant and his attorney. We also learned today that Chairman Comer is open to asking Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify. Lutnick was forced to revise his statement several times about the nature of his White House relationship with Epstein.

So it makes sense that the committee would want to hear from him.

Amna Nawaz:

While we have you, there’s another related piece of news I want to ask you about. We’ve seen reports from multiple media outlets this week that the Department of Justice has blocked and removed some of the Epstein files related to President Trump. What do we know about it?

Ali Rogin:

Yes, this relates to notes from four interviews the FBI conducted with one woman in 2019 after Epstein’s arrest.

The Justice Department released notes from one of those interviews, in which the woman accused Epstein of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 years old. But several media outlets pointed out that notes from the other three interviews were missing, and that based on other documents they could triangulate, there was information suggesting President Trump may have been involved in those missing documents.

In response, the Department of Justice said it was reviewing those files and that – quote – “if any document is found to have been incorrectly flagged in the review process, the Department will of course make it public, consistent with the law, as ‘secure.’

Amna Nawaz:

This is Justice Correspondent Ali Rogin starting our coverage tonight.

Ali, thank you.

Ali Rogin:

You bet.