Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton will testify behind closed doors in the Epstein investigation, with Bill Clinton to follow, as Republicans press the inquiry

NEW YORK: Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton is set to testify behind closed doors before a congressional committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Her husband, former president Bill Clinton, is scheduled to answer questions from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee the following day.

The Clintons initially rejected subpoenas but agreed after Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress.

Democrats argue the probe is weaponised to attack political opponents of Republican President Donald Trump, a former Epstein associate not called to testify.

Both Trump and Bill Clinton feature in recently released Epstein documents but say they severed ties before his 2008 conviction.

The Clintons demanded public hearings but the committee insisted on private depositions in Chappaqua, New York, where they reside.

Bill Clinton denounced the closed-door format as “pure politics” and akin to a “kangaroo court” in a post on X.

“If they want answers, let’s stop the games and do this the right way: in a public hearing,” he said.

Hillary Clinton told the BBC last week that she and her husband “have nothing to hide.”

She said she met Maxwell “on a few occasions” but never had meaningful interactions with Epstein.

The former presidential candidate accused Republicans of trying to deflect attention from Trump by having them testify.

“Look at this shiny object. We’re going to have the Clintons, even Hillary Clinton, who never met the guy,” she said.

Bill Clinton has acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane several times in the early 2000s for humanitarian work.

He stated he never visited Epstein’s private Caribbean island.

Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.

She appeared before the committee via video-link earlier this month but refused to answer questions, invoking her Fifth Amendment right.

Her attorney, David Markus, said Maxwell would speak publicly if granted clemency by Trump.

Markus also stated that Trump and Bill Clinton are “innocent of any wrongdoing.”

“Ms Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation,” he said.

The release of Epstein files has had global repercussions, including arrests in Britain.

No one other than Maxwell has faced legal consequences, though several prominent figures have seen their reputations damaged.

 The Sun Malaysia