Democrats say the investigation is being used to attack political opponents of President Donald Trump, who, in turn, was a friend of the financier and was not called to testify.
The former president Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will give testimony in a United States Congressional investigation about sex offender Jeffrey Epsteinwhich would avoid a possible vote to declare them in contempt.
The deceased former financier’s case involved some of the most prominent names in politics and exposed the partisan battles amid the scandal, which now adds to the victims’ complaints about the revelation of their identities in the latest files released.
The Oversight Committee of the Republican-majority House of Representatives accused Clinton (1993-2001) and the former head of diplomacy (2009-2013), both Democrats, of disobeying subpoenas to appear in person and testify about their ties to Epstein, who was found dead in prison in 2019.
O couple had initially refused to appear before lawmakers that investigated how authorities conducted previous investigations into the former executive, who had connections and correspondence with the world’s business and political elite.
However, Clinton spokesman Ángel Ureña stated on the social network X that “the former president and former secretary of state will be there” and “they hope to set a precedent that applies to everyone”.
Democrats say the investigation is being used to attack political opponents of President Donald Trump, who in turn was a friend of Epstein and was not called to testify.
Trump spent months trying to block the release of investigation documents related to the case, which runs through circles of billionaires, politicians, academics and celebrities.
Neither the president nor the Clintons have been charged with criminal offenses related to Epstein’s activities.
Voting suspended
In letters in which they initially refused to appear in Washington, the couple argued that the subpoenas were invalid because they lacked a clear legislative purpose.
Republicans say the Clintons’ ties to Epstein, including Bill Clinton’s use of his private jet in the early 2000s – before the tycoon was convicted of prostitution of minors – justify an in-person interrogation.
Instead, they both submitted written sworn statements in which they described what they knew about Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.
Bill Clinton acknowledged using the financier’s aircraft to carry out humanitarian work related to the Clinton Foundation, but stated that he never visited his private island.
After they agreed to testify, the Rules Committee decided Monday night to suspend its vote on contempt proceedings.
Uncensored names
Meanwhile, a court is expected to consider on Wednesday a request to block access to Epstein-related investigation records, after victims said their names had not been withheld.
The Justice Department last week released what it said would be the last batch of documents, photos and videos from the case files, which fueled a political drama for Trump.
But the agency found itself in a difficult situation after the names of the alleged victims, who were supposed to remain anonymous, were not censored, according to lawyers cited by The New York Times.
In a letter addressed to the judges, Brad Edwards and Brittany Henderson, of the Florida law firm Edwards Henderson, cited an email published among the new files “in which 32 minor victims were listed, with a single name censored and 31 visible.”
Another woman claimed that her full address had been published in the archives.
The lawyers requested the “immediate removal” of the government page on which they were displayed.
The mention of a name in Epstein’s files does not, in itself, imply any unlawful conduct. However, the documents released show some type of link between the sex offender or his circle and public figures who have minimized or denied the existence of such ties.
District Judge Richard M. Berman said in a brief order seen by AFP that he will hold a hearing on Wednesday.
On Sunday, the Justice Department said it was “working tirelessly” to further censor the files after journalists at The New York Times found dozens of photos of people naked and with their faces visible.
Since then, such images have mostly been removed or censored, the newspaper reported.
*With information from AFP
