Days before she is scheduled to give closed-door testimony on what she knows about Jeffrey Epstein, Hillary Clinton called the Trump administration’s handling of investigative documents concerning the late sex offender a “continuing cover-up.”
In an interview with the BBC, Clinton said the Justice Department is “slow walking” millions of pages, redacting the names of men who participated in Epstein’s sex crimes and “stonewalling” legitimate requests from Congress.
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The White House is pushing back, insisting the Trump administration has done more for Epstein’s victims than Democratic presidents did. However, as CNN reported, the department faces criticism from Epstein victims and some members of Congress over inconsistent redactions.
Why the Epstein files fight still matters
Millions of Epstein-related files have been made public since December following congressional approval of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The Justice Department says it has released all the records required by the law.
But some lawmakers say the release is insufficient. Among them is Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a co-sponsor of the act, who has called for the department to release internal memos outlining past decisions on whether to charge Epstein and his associates, the BBC reported.
Some members of Congress who have viewed unredacted versions of the documents say the department was protecting powerful men with its redactions, some of which have been reversed. A list of “politically exposed persons” was sent to Congress on Saturday, according to CNN.
Among those mentioned in the files are Hillary Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, as well as President Donald Trump. Simply appearing in the files does not indicate wrongdoing, however, and both Bill Clinton and Trump have denied involvement in Epstein’s alleged crimes.
What the White House, DOJ and Trump are saying
The White House denied Hillary Clinton’s claims, saying the administration has released “thousands of pages of documents” and cooperated with subpoenas. The statement added that by calling for investigations into Epstein’s “Democrat friends,” the administration has done “more for the victims than Democrats ever have”.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department is “committed to transparency” and “is hiding nothing.” The BBC cited a prior Justice Department statement that some documents containing “untrue and sensationalist claims” about Trump were submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election and that those claims were “unfounded and false.”
When asked about Clinton’s comments, Trump told the BBC he had nothing to hide. “I’ve been exonerated,” he said. “I had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. They went in hoping that they’d find it, and they found just the opposite.”
How the House probe has pulled in the Clintons
Both Clintons are set to appear for testimony in the House’s Epstein probe, with Hillary Clinton scheduled for Feb. 26 and Bill Clinton the following day. They agreed to provide closed-door depositions after the House was preparing to vote on holding them in contempt for defying subpoenas. A planned contempt vote was shelved once they agreed to appear.
Hillary Clinton said the testimony should be public.
“We will show up, but we think it would be better to have it in public,” she said. “We have nothing to hide. We have called for the full release of these files repeatedly. We think sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
What the files show about Stephen Bannon
Separately, The New York Times reported that the roughly 3 million pages of Justice Department records released last month show extensive contact between Epstein and Stephen Bannon, a longtime adviser to Trump.
Documents reportedly show Bannon advising Epstein on legal and media strategy in 2019 as federal investigators prepared a new indictment against him. Bannon suggested lawyers Epstein might hire, proposed “media training” and wrote that Epstein should “push back on the lies; then crush the pedo/trafficking narrative” and rebuild his image as a philanthropist.
Bannon told The Times his relationship with Epstein was “strictly professional.” He said he was working as a filmmaker and TV host trying to secure roughly 50 hours of interviews for a documentary that would “fully expose” Epstein and “destroy the very myths he created.” A spokesman also told The Times that Bannon planned to release the documentary later this year.
The Times reported the document trove also references proposed legal arrangements that could have extended attorney-client privilege to communications between Bannon and Epstein, even though Bannon is not a lawyer.
A spokesman told the Times that Bannon did not fly on Epstein’s private jet, did not stay at his residences and voluntarily shared his footage with federal prosecutors after Epstein’s death in custody in August 2019.
