WASHINGTON – Invoice and Hillary Clinton refused to take a seat this week for depositions in regards to the former president’s previous friendship with the late financier and intercourse predator Jeffrey Epstein, casting their defiance as a battle in opposition to the “dismantling of America” by President Donald Trump.
However the subpoena demanding the Clintons come to Capitol Hill didn’t simply come from Trump’s allies. A unanimous, bipartisan vote within the Home Oversight Committee accepted it, and Democrats on the committee don’t appear notably keen to leap to the protection of the couple that after outlined their social gathering ― no less than not publicly.
“We wish the entire individuals who we’ve subpoenaed to return in,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), one of many Democrats most concerned in pushing for transparency on the Epstein matter, advised HuffPost on Wednesday.
Khanna and the opposite Democrats on the committee have been on the trail to throwing the Clintons below the bus since this summer season, when the social gathering went all-in on damaging Trump by enjoying up his long-time friendship with Epstein, because the GOP response linking Epstein to Clinton was predictable.
Democrats refused to take part within the Republican effort to dramatize the Clintons’ subpoena defiance. On Tuesday and Wednesday, regardless that they knew the Clintons weren’t coming, Republicans packed into the deposition room, then got here out and complained in regards to the former president and first girl not displaying up.
Home Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) additionally complained that no Democrats joined him in pretending to attend for the Clintons.
“The Democrats had been actual keen to listen to about Invoice Clinton, after which someone got here alongside and advised them they should stand down,” Comer mentioned Tuesday, seemingly speculating about Democratic messaging ways. “I’ve by no means seen a Democrat not present up for a deposition.”
Although Democrats didn’t maintain a press convention or put out a launch in regards to the depositions this week, they did submit a press release to the formal report throughout Wednesday’s proceedings, complaining that Comer has “relentlessly pursued” Hillary Clinton whereas making little effort to implement its subpoena for the Justice Division’s recordsdata on Epstein, which the Justice Division has not absolutely obeyed.
“Including to those issues,” the Democrats’ assertion continued, “is President Trump’s path to his Lawyer Normal, the Division of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation — by way of a Reality Social publish — to provoke a felony investigation into distinguished Democrats, together with President Clinton, to distract from his personal shut relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.”
The assertion — which was circulated Wednesday by Clinton aides, not congressional Democrats — additionally famous that each Invoice and Hillary Clinton submitted declarations for the report. In his submission, the previous president mentioned he had no information of Epstein’s felony actions however acknowledged spending time with him after his presidency, which resulted in 2001, about 5 years earlier than police started wanting into Epstein’s recruitment of ladies for sexual massages.
Throughout his work for the Clinton Basis, Clinton mentioned, he accepted provides to make use of Epstein’s personal aircraft.
“Within the early 2000s, Mr. Epstein supplied a aircraft that was giant sufficient to accommodate me, my employees, and my U.S. Secret Service element, in assist of visiting the Basis’s philanthropic work,” Clinton mentioned within the assertion. He mentioned he by no means visited Epstein’s infamous personal island.
Hillary Clinton, for her half, mentioned she’d by no means flown on Epstein’s aircraft.
Blowing off a congressional subpoena can have critical penalties, together with jail time, if the Justice Division decides to prosecute. Comer’s committee intends to approve contempt resolutions in opposition to the Clintons subsequent week, a prelude to a full Home vote that might lead to a felony referral to the division.
It’s attainable the Clintons might argue that as a result of they offered some data, they didn’t truly blow off the subpoena. However Republicans don’t assume it’s an excellent argument.
“The Clintons had been subpoenaed for depositions, not written statements,” a Comer spokesperson mentioned. “The Home Oversight Committee supplied flexibility in scheduling these depositions, however the Clintons as an alternative delayed and obstructed the method.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), a former chair of the Home Judiciary Committee, mentioned Democrats didn’t actually need to go to bat for the Clintons.
“I don’t assume they want a lot defending. I imply, the subpoena is so absurd, and the bias and goal of the bulk within the committee to rewrite historical past is so apparent,” Nadler advised HuffPost.
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), a senior member of the oversight committee, mentioned Republicans had been merely utilizing the Clintons to distract from Trump’s relationship with Epstein.
“However you already know, there are a few photographs, and he was on the aircraft along with his safety element. So I believe the proof is skinny, but when there could be a way he might assist the investigation, then we might hope he would accomplish that voluntarily,” Lynch mentioned.
