Bill, Hillary Clinton to testify in US House Epstein probe
WASHINGTON
Bill Clinton, 42nd U.S. President and his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton, 67th U.S. Secretary of State, arrive at the Booksellers Room of the White House on the occasion of the State Dinner with the Kenyan president at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2024
Bill and Hillary Clinton will testify in a U.S. House investigation surrounding deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesman for the ex-president said, heading off a potential vote to hold the couple in contempt.
They had originally refused to appear before lawmakers examining how authorities handled earlier investigations into the disgraced financier, who had connections and correspondence with the world's business and political elite.
"The former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone," Clinton spokesman Angel Urena said on X.
The House Rules Committee had advanced resolutions accusing the Clintons of defying subpoenas to appear in person to explain their links to Epstein, who died in custody in 2019.
The Epstein affair continues to cast a long shadow over Washington, entangling some of the most prominent names in U.S. politics and highlighting the sharp partisan battles that have shaped the scandal.
Democrats say the probe is being weaponized to attack political opponents of President Donald Trump — himself a longtime Epstein associate who has not been called to testify — rather than to conduct legitimate oversight.
Trump spent months trying to block the disclosure of investigative files linked to Epstein, who moved in elite circles for years, cultivating ties with billionaires, politicians, academics and celebrities.
Neither Trump nor the Clintons have been accused of criminal wrongdoing related to Epstein's activities.
In letters where they initially refused to appear in Washington, the Clintons had argued that the subpoenas were invalid because they lacked a clear legislative purpose.
Republicans say the Democratic couple's past links to the business tycoon, including Bill Clinton's use of his private jet in the early 2000s, justify in?person questioning under oath.
Instead, the couple submitted sworn written statements describing their knowledge of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.
Bill Clinton acknowledged flying on Epstein's plane for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work, but said he never visited his private island.
Hillary Clinton said she had no meaningful interactions with Epstein, never flew on his plane and never visited his island.
After the Clintons agreed to testify, the Rules Committee decided Monday evening to suspend for the time being its vote on the contempt proceedings.
The vote and its targeting of the Clintons could have exposed divisions among congressional Democrats.
Some Democrats have privately acknowledged that their party has long argued no one should be beyond scrutiny in efforts to uncover the full scope of Epstein's crimes.
But others feared that advancing the contempt resolutions would have played into a partisan strategy to shift attention away from Trump's past contacts with Epstein.
The Justice Department released last week what it said would be the final batch of files related to the investigation into Epstein.
Apologies, resignation, royal glare
The release of the Epstein files has caused international fallout involving high profile figures. Here are details about some of the individuals mentioned, none of whom has been accused of wrongdoing:
Norway crown princess
Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose name appears at least 1,000 times in the millions of freshly released documents, has said "she showed poor judgment" for her "embarrassing" friendship with Epstein.
In one email, Mette-Marit asked Epstein if it was "inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying a surfboard for my 15 yr old son's wallpaper".
According to the palace, Mette-Marit ceased contact with Epstein in 2014.
Britain's Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
Britain's former prince Andrew was again caught up in the scandal. The latest release included undated photos of him kneeling on all fours over a woman lying on the floor.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer indicated Saturday that Andrew should testify to the U.S. Congress about his ties to Epstein.
In October, King Charles III stripped his brother of his royal titles after the late Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre alleged she was trafficked to have sex with Andrew three times, including twice when she was 17.
In one email from Friday's release, Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson thanked Epstein for being "the brother I have always wished for". In another, she wrote: "urgently need 20,000 pounds for rent today... Any brainwaves?"
Ferguson said in a 2011 interview that she was cutting ties with Epstein, and has also called a £15,000 ($20,000) loan that she took from him to help pay off debts a "gigantic error of judgement".
Belgian prince
Belgium's Prince Laurent admitted on Monday to two "one-on-one" meetings with Epstein, dating back to the 1990s and early 2000s. King Philippe's 62-year-old younger brother, however, denied ever meeting the disgraced financier at "public or group events".
Norwegian diplomat
Norway suspended on Monday a top diplomat known for her involvement in a landmark attempt to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict pending an investigation into her alleged ties to Epstein.
Norwegian media reported that Epstein left $10 million in his will to the children of Mona Juul, who played a key role in the secret Israeli-Palestinian negotiations which led to the Oslo accords of the early 1990s.
Slovakia official resigns
The Slovakian government's national security adviser resigned over his links to Epstein.
Miroslav Lajcak exchanged text messages with Epstein including one saying that certain "girls are incredible" in 2018 during his second spell as foreign minister, the BBC reported.
Admitting the exchanges on Monday night for the first time, the former foreign minister said that while he was introduced to "important people" by Epstein, there were no girls present.
LA Olympic chief
Los Angeles Olympics chief Casey Wasserman apologised on Saturday after decades-old flirtatious emails between him and Epstein's jailed former girlfriend appeared in the files.
Wasserman, chairman of the organising committee for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, said his 2003 email exchanges with Ghislaine Maxwell — who is serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking underage girls for Epstein — took place before her crimes were known.
He said he had "never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein", adding that he was "terribly sorry for having any association with either of them".
British ex-envoy to U.S.
Peter Mandelson, who was fired as the British ambassador to Washington last year over his ties to Epstein, quit the Labour Party on Sunday following the latest wave of revelations.
Undated photos appear to show Mandelson in a T?shirt and underwear beside a woman whose face was redacted by U.S. authorities. Mandelson told the BBC he could not identify the woman or the location.
UK leader Starmer has ordered an urgent inquiry into Mandelson's ties with Epstein.
French film producer, ex-minister
A daughter of high-profile former French culture minister Jack Lang's resign as head of a film producers' group following revelations of the family's Epstein ties.
Lang, who spent nearly 20 years as culture minister and education minister in different governments, said he had been introduced to Epstein by American actor-director Woody Allen and had no knowledge of his crimes.
His daughter, Caroline, one-time actor and now a film producer admitted to being "incredibly naive" for plans to set up a fund to buy artworks with the late sex offender.
University drops U.S. envoy's name
Queen's University Belfast on Monday said it was dropping the former U.S. senator George Mitchell's name from one of its institutes over his links with Epstein.
Mitchell brokered negotiations which led to the 1998 peace agreement ending three decades of conflict over British rule in Northern Ireland, and was chancellor of the university from 1999-2009.
The latest tranche of documents includes 339 references to Mitchell, who previously said he regrets having met and known Epstein and said he had no knowledge of any of his illegal actions.