HAPPENING NOW: Hillary Clinton Testifying in Epstein Probe “I Had No Idea About Their Criminal Activities”

00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks, did It's Thursday, February twenty sixth, and as we speak, the former first Lady of the United States, former senator, former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is under oath and testifying before a House committee about Jeffrey Epstein. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Roapes. She's testifying and she's made clear she knows nothing, and we're gonna let everybody here es. The cameras aren't in there, press isn't in there, but she made sure she got a message out before she went in there.

00:00:36
Speaker 2: And you know, this is so interesting because we know that both Hillary and Bill Clinton resisted not being subpoenaed or telling what they know, but resisted this style of deposition. It is private, it is in closed doors. Yes, it is being recorded, and we're hearing from Comer, who is the head of the Oversight Committee, that it will be released eventually. But they wanted this out in the open. They wanted a public hearing if they were going to testify. They wanted the world to watch as they were testifying. And I understand why. So instead now, yes, Hillary Clinton is being deposed in Chappaqua, near her home and She released on Instagram her opening statement to the committee, and it is lengthy, but she gets her two cents known to the world before we even see that video or even get any reaction from members of this committee later after she testifies. It's a pretty smarmout.

00:01:33
Speaker 1: She's up today, Bill Clinton is up tomorrow again. Under threat of contempt of Congress, they finally came around and decided they would testify. Look, they had an argument to make. You didn't make anybody else come in here and do this. Why are you giving making an exception and making us do so? Obviously, the politics of this robe any Republican. I guess your holy grail is a chance to get the Clintons under oath.

00:01:55
Speaker 2: Yes they have. There have been many articles written today about Republican sala the chance to actually question not only Hillary Clinton but former President Bill Clinton. There has not been a moment in recent history or in history of our country where a former president has had to testify before Congress. And we're already hearing from some Democrats on that committee saying this opens the door to President Trump having to testify about what he knows. James Comer quickly shot that down. Instead, a sitting President is not going to testify before Congress.

00:02:27
Speaker 1: Across that bridge, and we get to it eventually, but we do want to share with you now Hillary Clinton's opening statement to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. This committee made up majority of Republicans, but it's a big committee. I think thirty plus at least on this committee Republicans and Democrats, but they are as we speak, this is going on. We're toll robes. This will go on for a while, at least comer getting a set for long days of depositions. But this was Hillary Clinton's We will start from the top. It's a little over three and a half pages, but this was her opening statement, what she said to the committee, and she made sure she put this out publicly before she went in.

00:03:05
Speaker 2: Mister Chairman, ranking member members of the committee. As a former senator, I have respect for the Legislative Oversight and I expect its exercise, as do the American people, to be principled and fearless in pursuit of truth and accountability. As we all know. However, too often congressional investigations are partisan political theater, which is an abdication of duty and an insult to the American people. The Committee justified it's subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Gallaine Maxwell. Let me be as clear as I can. I do not don't like.

00:03:46
Speaker 3: A mic drop moment.

00:03:47
Speaker 1: I expect her to just get up and walk out right then, but obviously she didn't.

00:03:51
Speaker 3: But she's been saying this the whole time.

00:03:53
Speaker 1: Ropes, she doesn't know the guy, didn't know the guy, couldn't remember ever meeting the guy. Why are you dragging me in here for this foolishness? Is the point she's making.

00:04:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the big thing.

00:04:02
Speaker 1: She says.

00:04:02
Speaker 2: She doesn't recall ever meeting Jeffrey Epstein. Ever fairly significant, She continues, as I stated in my sworn declaration on January thirteenth, I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering mister Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that. Like every decent person, I have been horrified by what we have learned about their crimes. It is unfathomable that mister Epstein initially got a slap on the wrist in two thousand and eight, which allowed him to continue his predatory practices for another decade. Mister Chairman, your investigation is supposed to be assessing the federal government's handling of the investigations and prosecutions of Epstein and his crimes. U subpoened eight law enforcement officials, all of whom ran the Department of Justice or directed the FBI when Epstein's crimes were investigated and prosecuted. Of those eight, only one appeared before the committee. Five of the six former attorneys general were allowed to submit brief statements stating they had no information to provide. You have held zero public hearings, refuse to allow the media to attend them, including today, Despite espousing the need for transparency on dozens of occasions, you have made little effort to call the people who show up most prominently in Epstein files. And when you did, not a single Republican member showed up for Les Wexner's deposition.

00:05:33
Speaker 1: She's calling them out from the very beginning. Now we are reading this and you're hearing it this way, Ropes, I wonder what her tone is. I would have loved for this to be public and look, as they are salivating, Clinton is under oath. These name a more battle tested, scandal tested group of individuals on planet Earth than the Clintons.

00:05:56
Speaker 2: They know how to handle them just about anyone or any line of questioning. And yes, I don't know when this video is going to be released, but certainly this is going to be huge for people to be able to see exactly what is going on right now as we record this. Her opening statement continues.

00:06:14
Speaker 3: This next line is very, very important.

00:06:16
Speaker 2: This institutional failure is designed to protect one political party and one public official who could she be referring to, rather than to seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors, as well as the public who also want to get to the bottom of this matter. My heart breaks for the survivors, and I am furious on their behalf. I have spent my life advocating for women and girls. I have worked hard to stop the terrible abuses so many women and girls face here and around the world, including human trafficking, forced labor, and sexual slavery. For too long, these have been largely invisible crimes or not treated as crimes at all. But the sur vivers are real and they are entitled to better hung.

00:07:03
Speaker 1: That is more than we are hearing from a lot of folks in power about these survivors and about this case. I mean, every time you hear Epstein files, it feels almost rare that survivor or victim is mentioned. You hear Trump's name here, this official's name here, Larry Summers here, Bill Gates. Hear all these things and what's happening to them? What's happening to these guys? And then you really don't rope She's look, she goes on from what you're talking about and talks about her record of combating human trafficking and her pup. She's had fifty years in public service now, so she goes through and talks about some of that stuff robes, but she says it's clear as well that combating human trafficking is no longer an American priority under the Trump White House. She says, quote, this is a tragedy, it's a scandal. It deserves vigorous investigation. In oversight, a committee endeavoring to stop human trafficking would seek to understand what's specific steps are needed to fix a system that allowed Epstein to get away with his crimes in two thousand and eight, she goes through and list here a bunch of suggestions. You could do this, you should have done this, you could have been doing this, you could have been doing this, and something. She said this committee, if you were serious, you would demand that Secretary of Rubio and Attorney General Bondi testify about why this administration is abandoning survivors and playing into the hands of traffickers. This was smart?

00:08:30
Speaker 3: Was it not to be very smart?

00:08:31
Speaker 2: Not only is she saying, I don't know anything about Epstein, she goes on to say what she did do to try and stop human trafficking in this country and around the world, and then tells the committee, if they really are serious about protecting victims, all the different things they should have done. One of them was interesting. It would, they said, It would ensure that the lawful redactions of those files protected the victims and survivors, not powerful men and political allies. That has been a huge, huge criticism that the Department of Justice did a terrible job at redacting the names of some of these victims who then were outed for the first time in decades. Suddenly now they're getting calls from the media. They're getting pressure and people who didn't know suddenly they're thrust into the spotlight. Whereas they were very careful to make sure lots of names were redacted of powerful men, and certain files to this day, we reported earlier today are missing conveniently that may implicate other powerful men, aka President Trump. So she goes on to say what could have been done and what should have been done. So she says, but that's not happening. Instead, you have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation in order to distract attention from President Trump's actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers.

00:09:53
Speaker 1: And we are keeping an eye on what's happening in of all places, Chapaqua, the performing art center that they have there is the location that it is to do this. No, the Clintons are not in DC. That wasn't a part of the deal and the plan that was made. So they're doing this close to their home. But stay here. When we come back, we will let you hear. Now, what were the last four lines of her statement? And you thought she was going in on the committee before, Well, she really did not hold back in these last statements. Can you imagine what's going on in that room right now? Hillary Clinton testifying.

00:10:27
Speaker 2: Stay here, Welcome back everyone, as we record this episode of Amy and TJ. Former Secretary of State, former first Lady, former senator from New York, Hillary Clinton is testifying before the House Oversight Committee in Chappaqua, New York. She is being deposed. It is being recorded on video that we are told will one day be released. We're not sure, but certainly there is a gaggle of press outside of that performing art center where she is currently being questioned by members of that committee. It's Republican led for both Republicans and Democrats on that committee, and she and her husband, who will be testifying tomorrow. Former President Bill Clinton asked that these hearings be open to the public, that there be transparency, that members of the media be invited in. They wanted this to be public. They didn't get their wish. They are being deposed privately. But Hillary Clinton released a statement what her opening statement is to members of this committee, and we have it here for you, and we will finish with what former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the committee before she began answering questions.

00:11:45
Speaker 1: This is how she wrapped up her opening statement here. If the committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein's trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement. It would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files. That the majority was serious, you would not waste time on phishing expeditions. There is too much that needs to be done. What is being held back, who is being protected, and why the cover up.

00:12:16
Speaker 2: My challenge to you, mister Chairman, members of the Committee is the same challenge I put to myself throughout my long service to this nation. How to be worthy of the trust the American people have given you. They expect statesmanship, not gamesmanship, leading not grandstanding.

00:12:35
Speaker 3: They expect you to use.

00:12:36
Speaker 2: Your power to get to the truth and to do more to help survivors of Epstein's crimes, as well as the millions more who are victims of sex trafficking. That was a mic dropping opening statement where she really did put them on notice. I know nothing. You aren't asking the right people the right questions, and this is political theory a theater period.

00:13:00
Speaker 1: People do believe, I mean, fair minded people can see maybe what this is. But again, were split so much in this country. There are folks on one side salivating, folks on the other side upset, and then folks in the middle, which is most of us, just shaking our heads, like really this is happening. That's why this gets nothing. It gets nothing to the survivors. It gives nothing to the victims. It does what to haul this lady in. Look, I know this is high stakes politics, robes and there are people sitting out there who firmly, strongly, sincerely believe that Hillary Clinton.

00:13:34
Speaker 3: They really believe, and you can.

00:13:37
Speaker 4: Really believe that Hillary Clinton is some way complicit in Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, or she has information right now that get help somebody get more information than they have already about Epstein.

00:13:52
Speaker 3: Hillary Clinton's the key.

00:13:54
Speaker 2: Her name isn't in any document that I have seen, So this is it doesn't really make any sense.

00:14:01
Speaker 3: Now.

00:14:01
Speaker 2: It's interesting you she put this opening statement on her Instagram, and I just happened to see. One of the first comments off to the side was saying, of course you said you didn't know him. He was at your daughter's wedding. There are pictures of you with him. That's completely not true. Elaine Maxwell was at Chelsea Clinton.

00:14:20
Speaker 3: I beg you, I beg you, beg you, beg you.

00:14:21
Speaker 1: People please do not take people things. People are just saying stuff actually wrong, And somebody's gonna read that Robes and has no idea that that's wrong, and they.

00:14:29
Speaker 3: Go ooh, she's lying. Epstein was he was not?

00:14:33
Speaker 2: He was not.

00:14:34
Speaker 1: Elaine was there as the date of a friend of the family, right, she was there as in the side.

00:14:41
Speaker 3: She wasn't even directed.

00:14:42
Speaker 1: So I'm not I'm not trying to defend nobody's defending that stuff or defending Hillary Clinton. She doesn't need it, by the way, No she doesn't. So, but Robes, this is we're annoyed as Americans. This is what we're doing this week. People getting kicked out of State of the Union addresses, people hooting and hollering, Oh yes, the government is still fucking shut down. Sorry about the we we've been warmed about profanity, Sorry about that. Sorry sorry sorry, but ropes, the week we've had and everything going on as a partial shutdown, and a woman who they all even admit was not called up in this. Let's hauler in.

00:15:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, and let's have James Comer go in front of that gaggle of press outside of the Performing Arts Center in Chappaqua and tell reporters this is going to be a long video and a long deposition about what I mean. Clearly we know her from her time in office, but also just from that opening statement, Hillary Clinton is gonna be fine. She's gonna hold her own and she is going to say exactly what she needs to say to defend herself, even though there really is there is nothing to defend from anything that has been released, from any suggestion. I haven't heard any one pointed finger at her period. So this, if there is no if there's no document, if there's no mention of her, what then is the reason for bringing her in?

00:16:05
Speaker 1: You you can right now, at the top of your head name ten to fifteen people who are more eligible to be subpoenaed. And we at least Larry Summers Bill Gate. That's even this week, that's fresh off the top of mind. Clearly they know more than she does.

00:16:20
Speaker 3: Obviously, Yes, so.

00:16:22
Speaker 1: Okay, it's politic. Why are we acting like, okay, fine, it's fine, it's politics. But this is going on right now. Will keep an eye don't know how much we'll get from this today at least, but she put this out. Will keep an eye on it, just like all the other reporters and networks are keeping an eye on a building in Chappaqua.

00:16:39
Speaker 3: New York.

00:16:40
Speaker 1: This is where we are on the Epstein Investigation. Folks who appreciate you. It's always spending time with us. We'll hop back on if any more news breaks out. It's always top right corner of your Apple podcast app where you see our show page as a button at the top right corner that says follow click that you can make sure all of our updates come directly to you From now, I am TJ. Holmes on behalf of my dear Amy Robot. Will talk it