Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
New Delhi: Former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hilary Clinton,the former Secretary of State, have agreed to testify before Congress on Monday regarding their alleged links to late sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein. The development comes after the US lawmakers were planning to vote on whether to issue criminal referals against the Clintons.
The two Democrats had earlier rejected House Oversight Committee's requests for testimony for several months. Following the repeated refusals, the Republican led committee moved to hold Clintons in contempt of Congress. In response, the couple said that they were now willing to cooperate describing the episode as partisan and politically motivated in a manner that favoured Donald Trump.
Sharing a post on social media, Clinton deputy chief of staff Angel Ureña asserted that the couple would cooperate with the Committee now and would also appear before the panel.
“They negotiated in good faith,” Ureña wrote in a tweet directed at the House Oversight Committee. “You did not. “They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care. But the former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone.”
Pictures and videos released by the US Department of Justice revealed that the Bill Clinton knew Epstein for several years. The former US President was also seen attending gathering at the Epstein estate.
When asked about the association, Bill Clinton maintained that he was unaware of Epstein's crimes. Notably, none of the survivors accused Bill Clinton of any wrongdoing .
Meanwhile, Hilary Clinton has stated that she had no direct connection with Jefrey Epstein and that she has neither flew on his private jet nor visited his private island in the past.
In January, the Clintons wrote to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, criticising his handling of the investigation. The letter said, “The decisions you have made, and the priorities you have set as chairman regarding the Epstein investigation, have prevented progress in discovering the facts about the government’s role.” Further they added, “There is no plausible explanation for what you are doing other than partisan politics.”
In response, Chairman Comer said the subpoenas were not biased or one-sided , noting that they were approved by bipartisan support. He stressed that no-one is above the law. He also said, “We communicated with President Clinton’s legal team for months now, giving them opportunity after opportunity to come in, to give us a day, and they continue to delay, delay, delay,” said the Kentucky Republican.
