The release of footage from Hillary Clinton’s deposition on Jeffrey Epstein to the House Oversight Committee last week captures the moment the veteran Democrat stormed out of the private hearing over a leaked photograph.
The former first lady, 78, appeared before the panel in Chappaqua, New York, for six hours on Thursday, insisting she had “no idea” about the late sex trafficker’s crimes. Clinton also said she barely knew Epstein and never visited any of his properties.
In the middle of her testimony, MAGA influencer Benny Johnson posted a shot of Clinton on X (Twitter), with the caption: “The first image of Hillary Clinton testifying under oath about Jeffrey Epstein to the Republican Oversight Committee.
“This is the first time Hillary has had to answer real questions about Epstein. Clinton does not look happy.”
“Photo provided by Rep. Lauren Boebert,” he added, referring to the Colorado Republican congresswoman, who was taking part in the hearing.
When the participants were made aware of the post, the hearing briefly went off the record, with Clinton adviser Nick Merrill explaining the measure was put in place “while they figure out where the photo came from and why possibly members of Congress are violating House rules.”
Boebert subsequently defended Johnson’s actions on X, saying, “Benny did nothing wrong. Proceeding with deposition.”
Inside the venue, as the newly-released footage and transcript make clear, Clinton was furious, telling Republicans on the panel: “I’m done with this.”
She continued, “If you guys are doing that, I am done. You can hold me in contempt from now until the cows come home. This is just typical behavior. Oh, for heaven’s sake… We all were abiding by the same rules!”
A chastened Boebert can be heard saying: “I will take that down.”
Clinton, not satisfied, responded, “Yeah, well… I’m done, for now,” before standing up from the desk and marching out.
She did return and complete the hearing, however, and afterwards, California Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia called the interruption “unacceptable,” accused the opposition of “breaking their own committee rules” that had been agreed with Clinton and her team in advance, and said the interviewee had been “gracious” in consenting to continue.
Asked by reporters afterwards why she had leaked the photo, Boebert said she did not “recall” sending the image in question, despite Johnson explicitly crediting her as its source.
After the same influencer posted the film of Clinton reacting to the leak on Monday evening, Boebert acknowledged her responsibility after all in another post in which she wrote: “Anyone else notice that Hillary was 100x more angry with me taking a photo of her than she was with Bill Clinton taking rides on Jeffrey Epstein’s orgy planes?”
The 42nd president, who has not been accused of wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, had followed his wife and likewise given a six-hour deposition to the same committee on Friday.
Elsewhere in her deposition, Hillary Clinton sparred angrily with South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, accused conservative lawmakers of not taking their own inquiry seriously and urged them to call President Donald Trump to give evidence. The president has not been formally accused of wrongdoing in relation to Epstein but has faced questions over their past friendship.
“If you are new to this issue, let me tell you: Jeffrey Epstein was a heinous individual, but he’s far from alone,” Hillary Clinton said.
“This is not a one-off tabloid sensation or a political scandal. It’s a global scourge with an unimaginable human toll.”
Source: independent.co.uk