Bill Clinton's 'kangaroo court' dig as he demands public hearing in Epstein probe
Bill Clinton accused Republicans of politicising the Epstein probe, reiterating that he has submitted a sworn statement and agreed to testify, but only in a public hearing.
Former US President Clinton on Friday called for an on-camera public hearing as part of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, escalating his pushback against Republican lawmakers leading the investigation. He described the closed-door probe as a “kangaroo court,” arguing that it would benefit neither the victims nor the public.
In a series of social media posts, Clinton accused Committee Chairman James Comer of turning the proceedings into a partisan exercise and urged lawmakers to “stop the games and do this the right way” if they genuinely want answers.
Clinton, who has been named multiple times in court documents and flight logs linked to Epstein, said he has already provided a sworn statement, called for the full release of the Epstein files, and agreed to testify in person. However, he objected to what he described as closed-door depositions, arguing that a public hearing would better serve Epstein’s victims and ensure transparency for the American people.
“I have called for the full release of the Epstein files. I have provided a sworn statement of what I know. And just this week, I’ve agreed to appear in person before the committee. But it’s still not enough for Republicans on the House Oversight Committee,” Clinton said.
Questioning Comer’s decision to hold closed-door testimony, Clinton argued that such an arrangement benefits neither Epstein’s victims nor the public.
“Who benefits from this arrangement? It’s not Epstein’s victims, who deserve justice. Not the public, who deserve the truth. It serves only partisan interests. This is not fact-finding, it’s pure politics,” he added.
The former US President said he “will not sit idly as they use me as a prop in a closed-door kangaroo court by a Republican Party running scared”.
“ If they want answers, let’s stop the games & do this the right way: in a public hearing, where the American people can see for themselves what this is really about,” Clinton concluded.
Earlier, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton’s wife, also pushed for public hearings ahead of her scheduled deposition in the Epstein probe.
"For six months, we engaged Republicans on the Oversight Committee in good faith. We told them what we know, under oath. They ignored all of it. They moved the goalposts and turned accountability into an exercise in distraction,” she wrote on X.
The Epstein files -- a trove of court filings, depositions, witness testimonies, flight logs and investigative records linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein -- have remained at the centre of intense public and political scrutiny, particularly after US authorities recently released a massive tranche of documents. Epstein was convicted of sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls to his private island in the US Virgin Islands, where they were taken and subjected to sexual abuse.
The records name a who’s who from politics, business, technology and academia across the globe. While the mere appearance of a name in the documents does not imply wrongdoing, the disclosures have reignited demands for greater transparency about Epstein’s network and the full extent of his trafficking operation.
Bill Clinton was mentioned multiple times in court documents and flight logs related to Epstein, including records showing that he flew on Epstein’s private jet several times in the early 2000s and had contact with him after leaving the White House.
Former US President Clinton on Friday called for an on-camera public hearing as part of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, escalating his pushback against Republican lawmakers leading the investigation. He described the closed-door probe as a “kangaroo court,” arguing that it would benefit neither the victims nor the public.
In a series of social media posts, Clinton accused Committee Chairman James Comer of turning the proceedings into a partisan exercise and urged lawmakers to “stop the games and do this the right way” if they genuinely want answers.
Clinton, who has been named multiple times in court documents and flight logs linked to Epstein, said he has already provided a sworn statement, called for the full release of the Epstein files, and agreed to testify in person. However, he objected to what he described as closed-door depositions, arguing that a public hearing would better serve Epstein’s victims and ensure transparency for the American people.
“I have called for the full release of the Epstein files. I have provided a sworn statement of what I know. And just this week, I’ve agreed to appear in person before the committee. But it’s still not enough for Republicans on the House Oversight Committee,” Clinton said.
Questioning Comer’s decision to hold closed-door testimony, Clinton argued that such an arrangement benefits neither Epstein’s victims nor the public.
“Who benefits from this arrangement? It’s not Epstein’s victims, who deserve justice. Not the public, who deserve the truth. It serves only partisan interests. This is not fact-finding, it’s pure politics,” he added.
The former US President said he “will not sit idly as they use me as a prop in a closed-door kangaroo court by a Republican Party running scared”.
“ If they want answers, let’s stop the games & do this the right way: in a public hearing, where the American people can see for themselves what this is really about,” Clinton concluded.
Earlier, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton’s wife, also pushed for public hearings ahead of her scheduled deposition in the Epstein probe.
"For six months, we engaged Republicans on the Oversight Committee in good faith. We told them what we know, under oath. They ignored all of it. They moved the goalposts and turned accountability into an exercise in distraction,” she wrote on X.
The Epstein files -- a trove of court filings, depositions, witness testimonies, flight logs and investigative records linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein -- have remained at the centre of intense public and political scrutiny, particularly after US authorities recently released a massive tranche of documents. Epstein was convicted of sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls to his private island in the US Virgin Islands, where they were taken and subjected to sexual abuse.
The records name a who’s who from politics, business, technology and academia across the globe. While the mere appearance of a name in the documents does not imply wrongdoing, the disclosures have reignited demands for greater transparency about Epstein’s network and the full extent of his trafficking operation.
Bill Clinton was mentioned multiple times in court documents and flight logs related to Epstein, including records showing that he flew on Epstein’s private jet several times in the early 2000s and had contact with him after leaving the White House.