Hillary Clinton has accused President Donald Trump's administration of a "cover-up" of the fact that it handled files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"Release the files. They're deliberately dragging them out," the former US secretary of state told the BBC in Berlin, where she was attending the annual World Forum.
The White House has responded by saying that by releasing the files, they "have done more for the victims than Democrats have ever done."
Asked whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should testify before a congressional committee, Hillary Clinton said: "I think everyone should testify if they're called upon."
Appearance in the file is not proof of guilt. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.
Millions of new documents related to Epstein were released earlier this month after Congress passed legislation requiring the US Department of Justice (DoJ) to release materials related to the Epstein investigation.
The DOJ said it had released all the documents required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but lawmakers say the release is insufficient. Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who co-authored the bill, has called on the Justice Department to release internal memos about previous decisions on whether to indict Epstein and his associates.
Epstein died in a New York jail cell on August 10, 2019, without parole, while awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. This came more than a decade after his conviction for soliciting the prostitution of a minor, for which he was registered as a sex offender.
Andrew, a former prince, has faced increasing pressure from US officials and the family of his high-profile accuser, Virginia Giuffre, to testify before the House Oversight Committee about his ties to Epstein.
Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing and reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022 without admitting any wrongdoing. Giuffre committed suicide in 2025.
The Clintons are scheduled to testify before the committee: Bill Clinton on February 27 and Hillary Clinton the day before.
A planned contempt of Congress vote against the Clinton family was withdrawn after they agreed to testify. It will be the first time a former US president has testified before a congressional committee since Gerald Ford in 1983.
Bill Clinton – who is repeatedly mentioned in the Epstein dossier – was acquainted with Epstein, but says he cut off contact two decades ago.
Neither Clinton has been accused of any wrongdoing by Epstein's surviving victims, and both have denied any knowledge of his sexual abuse at the time.
The Ciletons have called for the hearing to be public, not behind closed doors.
"We will come, but we think it would be better if it were public," Hillary Clinton told the BBC.
Republican committee chairman James Comer accused the Clintons of "drag and drop," saying they "gave up" when a vote on contempt of Congress was threatened.
“I just want it to be fair,” Hillary Clinton said. “I want everyone to be treated the same.”
"We have nothing to hide. We have consistently requested the full publication of these files. We believe that light is the best disinfectant."
The former presidential candidate claimed that she and her husband were being used to distract from Trump.
"Look at this big bait. We're going to have the Clintons, even Hillary Clinton, who's never met the man."
Hillary Clinton said she had met with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's convicted associate, "several times."
Trump - who is mentioned hundreds of times in the Epstein dossier - has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, with whom he claims to have cut off contact decades ago, and has not been accused of any wrongdoing by Epstein's victims.
Asked about Hillary Clinton's comments, Trump told the BBC that he had nothing to hide.
"I am acquitted. I had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. They were looking hoping to find that, and they found the opposite," he said from Air Force One.
"They are involved. And that's their problem... Clinton and many other Democrats are involved."
Regarding the allegations against Trump, the Justice Department previously said: “Some of the documents contain false and sensational allegations against Trump that were provided to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election. To be clear, these allegations are baseless and false, and if they had any credibility, they would have already been used against Trump.”
The White House said: “By releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with calls from the House Oversight Committee, and President Trump’s recent call for further investigations of Epstein’s Democratic friends, the Trump administration has done more for victims than Democrats ever have.”
edition
t7 live
