Lauren Boebert named after social posts that briefly paused Hillary Clinton’s deposition

Hillary Clinton spent roughly six hours giving closed-door testimony to the House Oversight Committee in Chappaqua, New York, saying she "never met Jeffrey Epstein" and that she had "no idea about their criminal activities, " while a brief pause in questioning came after two pictures were posted online that a poster said had been shared with him by Rep. lauren boebert.

Photos posted mid-hearing prompted a short break

A source familiar with the session said questioning was briefly paused after conservative influencer Benny Johnson posted two pictures of Hillary Clinton during the questioning, which he said were shared with him by Rep. lauren boebert, R-Colo. The interview was videotaped and took place at the Clintons' house in Chappaqua, New York.

Hillary's opening statement and key answers

In an opening statement she posted on X and delivered at the closed-door hearing, Hillary Clinton 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. " She also told reporters after the session that she "answered every one of their questions as fully as I could" and that the questions were "repetitive. "

During the roughly six-hour appearance, she reiterated, "I never met Jeffrey Epstein" and said she "knew Ghislaine Maxwell casually, as an acquaintance. " Clinton told lawmakers she expected her husband to similarly testify that he had no knowledge of Epstein's sexual abuse at the time they knew each other. Toward the end of the session, she said questioning took an odd turn when a member asked about UFOs and the "pizzagate" conspiracy theory.

Bill Clinton begins his deposition in Chappaqua

The day after Hillary's interview, former President Bill Clinton started his deposition before members of Congress investigating Jeffrey Epstein in Chappaqua, telling them he "did nothing wrong" and that he saw no signs of Epstein's abuse. The closed-door deposition marked the first time a former president has been compelled to testify to Congress.

Republican scrutiny, committee remarks and evidence mentioned

House Republicans pressed both Clintons as part of a broader examination of Epstein and his associates. Committee Chair James Comer said before the depositions that "Men — and women for that matter — of great power and great wealth from all across the world have been able to get away with a lot of heinous crimes and they haven't been held accountable and they have not even had to answer questions. " Comer also said, "No one's accusing anyone of any wrongdoing, but I think the American people have a lot of questions. "

Comer described the effort as not a partisan "witch hunt, " saying the move to compel testimony was a motion "supported by the Democrats. " He said Hillary's appearance "was going to be a long video and a long deposition" and predicted Bill Clinton's deposition would be "even longer. " Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S. C., said Hillary "took every question from every single member" on both sides of the aisle, and Comer called the session "productive. "

Photographs, past visits and criminal cases that frame the questioning

Republicans have pointed to material in earlier Department of Justice case-file releases in their effort to question the Clintons. Those releases included photos that showed Bill Clinton on a plane seated alongside a woman whose face was redacted, with his arm around her, and a photo of Clinton and Ghislaine Maxwell in a pool with another person whose face was redacted. Maxwell is a British socialite who was convicted of sex trafficking in December 2021 and maintains she is innocent.

The committee has also cited a documented relationship between Epstein and the former president and Maxwell from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges in Florida for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl, and he died by suicide in 2019 in a New York jail cell while facing sex trafficking charges. Committee members noted Epstein visited the White House several times during Clinton's presidency; Comer said the committee has collected evidence that Epstein visited the White House 17 times. The pair later made several international trips together for their humanitarian work.

Neither Bill Clinton nor Hillary Clinton has been accused of crimes in connection with Epstein; both have denied wrongdoing. The committee has said it will continue questioning witnesses as part of its probe.

The committee is scheduled to meet with former President Bill Clinton for a similar deposition on Friday.