Hillary Clinton accuses Trump administration of a ‘cover-up’ over its handling of Epstein documents
By Issy Ronald, CNN
(CNN) — Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has accused the Trump administration of a “continuing cover-up” in the way it has handled the release of millions of documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein.
“They are slow walking it, they are redacting the names of men who are in it, they are stonewalling legitimate requests from members of Congress,” Clinton told the BBC at the Munich Security Conference in Berlin.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has repeatedly defended the US Department of Justice’s handling of the files, saying the department is “committed to transparency” and “is hiding nothing.”
The latest batch of documents released by the DOJ contained several references to Bill Clinton, offering fresh insights into the sometimes-lewd ways the former president’s staff communicated with Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Hillary Clinton said she and her husband “have nothing to hide.” Bill Clinton has repeatedly denied wrongdoing related to the late sex offender. Previous document dumps revealed photos of Bill Clinton alongside Epstein and in a hot tub with someone a DOJ official described as a “victim” of Epstein’s sexual abuse.
Both Clintons are set to appear for closed-door depositions in the House’s Epstein probe later this month, agreeing to the conditions set by House Oversight Chairman James Comer only once the House was preparing for a vote to hold the couple in contempt for defying a congressional subpoena.
Without referencing this tussle, Clinton said the couple “are more than happy to say what we know, which is very limited and totally unrelated to their behavior or their crimes.”
“I just want it to be fair, I just want everyone to be treated the same way. That’s not true for my husband and me,” she added, repeating her desire to attend public hearings too.
She claimed that such scrutiny directed toward her and her husband was being used by the administration as a way to “divert attention from President (Donald) Trump.”
Trump, who is mentioned more than 1,000 times in the documents, eventually encouraged Republicans to vote to release the files late last year after initially resisting an effort to make them public.
“I’ve been totally exonerated,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, when asked about Clinton’s comments. “No, no, they’re getting pulled in, that’s their problem, we’ll have to see what happens. I watched (Clinton) in Munich, and she seriously has Trump derangement syndrome.”
Clinton referenced Attorney General Pam Bondi’s testimony on Wednesday as one example indicating the administration has “something to hide.”
“(Bondi) refused to answer questions, she diverted attention away from the matters at hand, she refused to look at survivors,” Clinton said.
Her comments struck a similar tone to those made by her husband’s spokesperson in December who, when calling on the DOJ to release all the files, said “refusal to do so will confirm the widespread suspicion the Department of Justice’s actions to date are not about transparency, but about insinuation.”
The DOJ has been heavily criticized by Epstein victims and members of Congress since the files were released over the department’s inconsistent redactions of names and details in the millions of released documents.
Some members of Congress who viewed unredacted versions of the documents later said that the department was protecting powerful men, prompting them to un-redact additional names in the files, and send Congress a list of “politically exposed persons” on Saturday.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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