Lauren Boebert named after photos briefly paused Hillary Clinton deposition, lauren boebert appears in committee exchange
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified for roughly six hours Thursday before the House Oversight Committee and said she has no new information about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The session drew scrutiny when questioning was briefly paused after photos posted by a conservative influencer that he said were shared with him by Rep. lauren boebert, R-Colo., and the committee is set to depose former President Bill Clinton the following day.
Length and setting of the deposition in Chappaqua, New York
The closed-door interview was videotaped and took place in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons have a house. Hillary Clinton spent roughly six hours answering lawmakers’ questions on Thursday, and Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said her appearance was "going to be a long video and a long deposition. " Comer added that the planned deposition of former President Bill Clinton will be "even longer. "
Clinton’s denials and what she posted online
In an opening statement she posted online, Hillary Clinton said she had no new information about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and criticized Republicans' handling of their investigations into the late convicted sex offender. She said, "I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island home or offices. "
Direct answers in the room and claims of repetitiveness
After the interview, Hillary Clinton told reporters she "answered every one of their questions as fully as I could" and described the questions as "repetitive. " She reiterated the answers she gave in the session: "I never met Jeffrey Epstein" and that she "knew Ghislaine Maxwell casually, as an acquaintance. " She also said, "I don't know how many times I had to say I didn't know Jeffrey Epstein. " Toward the end of the questioning, she said the session took an odd turn when one member asked her about UFOs and the "pizzagate" conspiracy theory.
Republican leaders defend the inquiry and note Clinton responses
Committee Chair James Comer called the interview "productive" and said, "I think we learned a lot. " Comer said some questions involved the Clinton Global Initiative, and that Hillary Clinton told lawmakers, "You have to ask my husband. " He told reporters before the interview that "this isn’t a partisan witch hunt. This was a motion, a bipartisan motion, supported by the Democrats, to bring the Clintons in. So I don’t think it’s any type of being unfair in any way to the Clintons. " Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S. C., said Hillary Clinton "took every question from every single member" on both sides of the aisle.
Pause after photos and the role of Lauren Boebert
A source familiar with the situation said Thursday's questioning was briefly paused after conservative influencer Benny Johnson posted two pictures of Hillary Clinton during the questioning on social media, which he said were shared with him by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo. A news outlet reached out to both sides of the committee for comment on the delay. The account of events in the available record ends with a truncated line beginning with "Benny did nothing wro"—unclear in the provided context.
Clinton’s broader critique and references to President Trump
In her opening statement, Hillary Clinton accused the panel of conducting partisan "fishing expeditions" by compelling her and her husband to sit for depositions and said the committee was interviewing the wrong people. She wrote, "[Y]ou 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 cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers. "
She added that if the committee were serious 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. " The context also notes that President Trump has never been charged with any wrongdoing connected to Epstein and has denied any wrongdoing. The Clintons have repeatedly denied wrongdoing related to Epstein and have not been accused of any crimes in connection with him.
