Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has accused the Donald Trump administration of a “continuing cover-up” in its handling of millions of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Clinton made the allegation despite repeated statements from U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who defended the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) handling of the files, saying the department is “committed to transparency” and “is hiding nothing.”
“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.
The latest batch of DOJ documents included several references to former President Bill Clinton, shedding light on the sometimes-lewd ways his staff communicated with Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Clinton emphasized that she and her husband “have nothing to hide.” Bill Clinton has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing connected to Epstein. Previous document releases included 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 after the House was preparing to vote to hold them in contempt for defying a congressional subpoena.
Without referencing this dispute directly, 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, reiterating her wish to attend public hearings.
She claimed the scrutiny directed at her and her husband is being used by the administration 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 public disclosure.
“I’ve been totally exonerated,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One regarding 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 also cited Attorney General Pam Bondi’s recent testimony as evidence 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 remarks echoed those of a spokesperson for her husband in December, who said that refusal by the DOJ to release all files would “confirm the widespread suspicion the Department of Justice’s actions to date are not about transparency, but about insinuation.”
The DOJ has faced heavy criticism from Epstein victims and members of Congress over inconsistent redactions of names and details in the millions of released documents.
Some members of Congress who viewed unredacted versions said the department appeared to be protecting powerful men, prompting them to un-redact additional names and provide Congress with a list of “politically exposed persons” on Saturday.
