Hillary Clinton calls for public hearing in Epstein probe

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is calling for her testimony about Jeffrey Epstein to be done in a public hearing, but Republicans on the House committee investigating him say that’s not going to happen. 

Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, are set to testify later this month before the House Oversight Committee, which is conducting its own investigation into Epstein’s sex trafficking ring and the high-profile people in Epstein’s circle.

Here’s the latest: 

Clinton-Epstein latest

What we know:

The committee is examining what the Clintons may have known about Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, including scrutiny of Hillary Clinton’s role overseeing U.S. efforts to combat international sex trafficking while serving as Secretary of State.

The Clintons agreed to have the depositions behind closed doors, despite their request for it to be public. The private testimony will be transcribed and recorded on video, and the committee’s chair, GOP Rep. James Comer, said he’s open to holding a later public hearing if the Clintons want it.

RELATED: Epstein victims blast DOJ for releasing nude photos, names in file dump 

It will mark the first time that lawmakers have compelled a former president to testify.

What they're saying:

"For six months, we engaged Republicans on the Oversight Committee in good faith. We told them what we know, under oath," Hillary Clinton wrote on X. "They ignored all of it. They moved the goalposts and turned accountability into an exercise in distraction.

"If you want this fight, let’s have it—in public," she continued. "You love to talk about transparency. There’s nothing more transparent than a public hearing, cameras on. We will be there."

The backstory:

Bill Clinton, like a number of other high-powered men including President Donald Trump, had a well-documented relationship with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Both are frequently mentioned and pictured in the Justice Department’s Epstein case files. Neither Trump nor Clinton has been credibly accused of wrongdoing in their interactions with the late financier.

Both Hillary and Bill Clinton have said they had no knowledge that Epstein was sexually abusing underage girls before prosecutors brought charges against him.

For months, the Clintons resisted subpoenas from the committee, but House Republicans — with support from a few Democrats — had advanced criminal contempt of Congress charges to a potential vote this week. It threatened the Clintons with the potential for substantial fines and even prison time if they had been convicted.

What's next:

House Speaker Mike Johnson said any efforts to hold them in contempt of Congress were "on pause."

When will the Clintons testify about Epstein? 

Timeline:

Hillary Clinton will testify before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 26 and Bill Clinton will appear on Feb. 27.