Clinton says she never met Epstein

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the House Oversight Committee on Thursday that she had no knowledge of the criminal activities of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

‘I don’t recall ever meeting Mr Epstein. I have never flown on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add,’ she said in a statement ahead of her scheduled closed-door testimony in Chappaqua, New York.

Clinton also accused the Republican majority on the committee of seeking to divert attention from Donald Trump’s past associations with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Hillary and Bill Clinton initially declined to testify but later agreed after being threatened with contempt of Congress proceedings. Bill Clinton is due to appear on Friday. Committee chairman James Comer rejected suggestions that the inquiry was partisan, saying its purpose was to clarify any contacts with Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Transcripts of the testimony are expected to be made public.

(reuters, est)