Hillary Clinton’s Epstein Deposition Is Paused After GOP Lawmaker Leaks Photo to Conservative Podcaster

A deposition by the former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, was temporarily put on hold Thursday after a GOP lawmaker, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, leaked a photo of Mrs. Clinton to a conservative podcaster. Taking photos of witnesses participating in closed-door sessions is a violation of House rules. Mrs. Clinton agreed to be deposed by the Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his connection to some of the world’s most powerful individuals. Her husband, President Clinton, will be deposed on Friday. In a statement to the committee, Ms. Clinton told lawmakers and committee lawyers that she never met Epstein and had only brief interactions with his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. She also accused Republicans of allowing President Trump to conceal many of the so-called “Epstein files” which the Justice Department is refusing to release. “I had no idea about their criminal activities,” Ms. Clinton said of Epstein and Maxwell in the statement, which she released. “I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that.”Ms. Clinton told Republicans on the committee they had compelled her 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 to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers.”If the panel is “serious” about learning more, she said, it should question Mr. Trump “directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files.”Ms. Clinton and her husband agreed to be deposed only after the committee’s chairman, Congressman James Comer, initiated contempt of Congress proceedings against the former first couple. After they agreed to be deposed, Mr. Comer allowed them to be questioned at their hometown of Chappaqua, New York, rather than on Capitol Hill. Even though the deposition is not being held at the Capitol’s complex, House rules still apply. Ms. Boebert — a member of the committee who supported legislation to force disclosure of the Epstein files — decided to take a photo of Ms. Clinton seated beside her lawyers during the deposition. She sent that photo to conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, a former journalist who was largely cut out of the industry after it was disclosed he had plagiarized other individuals’ work. “The first image of Hillary Clinton testifying under oath about Jeffery 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,” Mr. Johnson wrote to accompany the watermarked photo. He said in the post that it had been “provided by Rep. Lauren Boebert.”The deposition was put on hold after the photo was published because of the violation of House rules. Members of the press are not allowed inside the room. A full video of the deposition — which was expected to last all day — should be released in the next few days, as the committee has done with all other witnesses. Top aides for the Clintons appeared outside of the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, where the deposition is being conducted, to announce that the interview had been put on hold. “There was a photograph shared on social media which is against chamber rules that were read at the top of the meeting,” Ms. Clinton’s adviser, Nick Merrill, told reporters.In a subsequent posting on X, Mr. Johnson defended the publication of the photo, noting that the deposition was being filmed and that Ms. Clinton had wanted the deposition to be done in public.“The entire deposition will be released soon. Rep. Boebert gave me permission to post photo with credit. Hillary is trying to get out of answering questions about Epstein because of a pic!?!” he wrote.Ms. Boebert also posted, saying, “Benny did nothing wrong. Proceeding with deposition.”This article has been updated to include reaction from Ms. Boebert and Mr. Johnson.

Hillary Clinton’s Epstein Deposition Is Paused After GOP Lawmaker Leaks Photo to Conservative Podcaster

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