BERLIN, Germany: Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has accused President Donald Trump of orchestrating a “cover-up” regarding files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“Get the files out. They are slow-walking it,” Clinton, who is scheduled to testify before a Congressional committee on the matter, told the British broadcaster during the Berlin interview.
According to her interview with the BBC published Monday, last month, the Department of Justice released a significant cache of Epstein-related materials – more than three million documents, photos, and videos stemming from investigations into Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while in federal custody, reports AFP.
Former president Bill Clinton, Hillary’s husband, is mentioned frequently in the files, though no evidence has emerged linking either Clinton to criminal activity.
Both have been ordered to provide closed-door depositions before the House Oversight Committee, which is probing Epstein’s connections to influential figures and the handling of information about his crimes, according to AFP.
“We will show up but we think it would be better to have it in public,” Hillary Clinton told the BBC. “I just want it to be fair. I want everybody treated the same way.”
The former secretary of state emphasized that she and her husband “have nothing to hide” and have repeatedly called for full public release of the files.
The Department of Justice claims it has no further documents to release, though lawmakers have criticized the agency for withholding internal memos, notes, and emails regarding Epstein.
Clinton suggested that Republican investigators are attempting to divert attention away from Trump, whose name is also mentioned multiple times in the files. “Look at this shiny object. We’re going to have the Clintons, even Hillary Clinton, who never met the guy,” she said.
President Trump denies any wrongdoing, stressing that mere mention in the files is not evidence of criminal conduct.
Bill Clinton has acknowledged flying on Epstein’s private plane in the early 2000s for Clinton Foundation humanitarian work but denied visiting Epstein’s private island.
Hillary Clinton has consistently stated she had no significant interactions with Epstein, never flew on his plane, and never visited the island.
In the BBC interview, she confirmed meeting Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted associate, “on a few occasions.”
Responding to Clinton’s claim that the congressional testimony is a political distraction, Trump said Monday evening that he had been “totally exonerated.”
Hillary Clinton is scheduled to appear for her deposition on February 26, followed by Bill Clinton on February 27.
