Hillary Clinton has accused the Trump administration of a “continuing cover-up” in its handling of the release of millions of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. The former Secretary of State leveled the charge in an interview with the BBC, expressing concern over the pace and manner of the document release.
“They are slow-walking it, they are redacting names, they are blocking legitimate requests from members of Congress,” Clinton stated, according to reports. She made the comments while attending the Munich Security Conference in Berlin.
The Justice Department has defended its handling of the Epstein files, with a deputy assistant attorney general, Todd Blanche, repeatedly asserting the department’s “commitment to transparency” and denying any attempt to conceal information.
Recent releases of documents have included numerous references to Bill Clinton, offering new insights into communications between former President Clinton’s staff and Epstein and his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. The nature of some of these communications has been described as “lascivious.”
Hillary Clinton maintained that she and her husband “have nothing to hide.” Bill Clinton has consistently denied any wrongdoing related to the late sex offender.
Both Clintons are scheduled to appear for closed-door depositions later this month as part of the House’s Epstein probe. They accepted conditions set by the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, as the House prepared to vote on holding the couple in contempt for defying a congressional subpoena.
Clinton cited the testimony of former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as evidence of a potential cover-up. “She refused to answer questions, she deflected from the issues at hand, she refused to look at the survivors,” Clinton said.
Former President Donald Trump has previously defended his administration’s handling of the Epstein files, also claiming he has nothing to hide.
The Justice Department has faced criticism from Epstein’s victims and members of Congress since the files were released, due to what they describe as inconsistent redactions of names and details within the millions of documents made public.
Some members of Congress who reviewed unredacted versions of the documents later revealed that the department appeared to be protecting powerful individuals, prompting calls to unredact additional names in the files. The department subsequently sent a list of “politically exposed persons” to Congress this past Saturday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
