Hillary Clinton’s deposition on Epstein paused after photos leaked
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s deposition regarding Jeffrey Epstein has been suspended after photos were leaked.
Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is defending the decision to suspend proceedings after leaking photos of Hillary Clinton’s private deposition with the House Oversight Committee regarding the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Around noon on Thursday, February 26, conservative YouTuber Benny Johnson posted a grainy photo of Clinton on X (formerly Twitter), calling it “the first image of Hillary Clinton testifying under oath” about Epstein before the committee. Johnson acknowledged that Boebert, R-Colorado, provided the image and later shared an additional photo with Boebert’s nameplate on the front.
Depositions were temporarily suspended because of the leak, but Clinton told reporters at a news conference that evening that it was against committee rules to take and share photos during proceedings, so she had suspended them “until we can receive assurance that we will not violate the rules in the future.” “One of our members violated that rule, which was very upsetting because it implied a potential violation of our other agreements,” she said.
Boebert shared another post Johnson posted to X, saying Johnson “did nothing wrong” and that the meeting had resumed after an interruption.
Boebert: “I really admire her blue suit.”
“Why not?” Boebert said when asked by reporters as she left a deposition in Chappaqua, New York, why she leaked the photos, according to a video posted online.
“I really admire her blue suit, so I wanted to share it with everyone,” she added with a laugh.
She later told reporters outside the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center that she returned to her hotel room, installed BleachBit software, a program that deletes and cleans up digital files, and “took a hammer to my iPad.”
“That’s why I don’t remember any of the photos,” she said in a video seen by USA TODAY.
Later, she shared another post with X, poking fun at the situation, saying, “Not a single US ambassador was harmed in today’s photo shoot.”
Garcia: Violations of commission rules ‘unacceptable’
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) spoke to reporters during a break in the proceedings and admonished Boebert.
“What is unacceptable is breaking the own committee rules that Oversight Republicans have established with the Secretary and his team,” he told reporters. “We were grateful that the Chief Justice and his team continued with the deposition.”
In an online video, Boebert also told reporters outside the deposition that she had not received any formal disciplinary action regarding the leak.
Clinton called to testify about Epstein
Clinton appeared before the committee on Thursday, February 26, after she and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, received subpoenas from members of Congress. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said earlier this month that he would be questioned about the couple’s inclusion in Epstein’s file, including records that he raised money for the Clinton family foundation and that his colleague Ghislaine Maxwell attended his daughter’s wedding.
The Clintons agreed to appear in person after the Republican-led House of Representatives moved to vote to hold them in contempt of Congress. Hillary and Bill are scheduled to submit their affidavits on Friday, February 27th, but have called for a public hearing first. Both depositions were ultimately conducted in private, but will be transcribed, filmed, and eventually made public.
Comer previously said committee rules do not allow outsiders to take photos or videos of proceedings, and the recordings were intended for review by Clinton’s lawyers before being released.
The congressional investigation comes after lawmakers and women who have accused Epstein of abuse forced the Justice Department to release 3 million pages of documents related to its criminal investigation. But millions more pages remain sealed, including one that purports to refer to President Donald Trump saying the country should move forward.
Bill Clinton appeared in numerous photos released with the files, posing with Epstein, Maxwell, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker.
In sworn testimony, Hillary Clinton denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and called the pursuit by Republicans a “fishing expedition.”
The Clinton Foundation and Boebert’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
This story has been updated with new information.
Contributors: Fernando Cervantes Jr., Bert Jansen, USA TODAY
