Epstein files latest: Bill and Hillary Clinton agree to testify before Congress over ties to pedophile financier

Both Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify in a House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

The pair have reversed their position days after a deluge of files related to the disgraced financier and convicted pedophile were made public by the DOJ, with the House moving to hold the Clintons in contempt if they refused to appear before Congress.

The former president and first lady have long argued that they submitted written testimony to Congress, as others in the investigation had, and that they had only a “limited knowledge” of Epstein.

Neither has been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and has repeatedly suggested that getting them to testify in front of Congress is an attempt to embarrass them.

“They negotiated in good faith,” Angel Ureña, President Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, posted. “You did not.

"They told you under oath what they know, but you don't care.

“But the former President and former Secretary of State will be there,” Ureña continued. “They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone."

Key Points

• Clintons to testify in House investigation into Epstein
• President Clinton's spokesperson hits out against the investigation
• Former British duchess's charity closes after her Epstein links made public

'It isn't a crime to party with Mr Epstein': Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has said it is “not a crime to party” with Jeffrey Epstein.

Speaking to Laura Ingraham on her eponymous show The Ingraham Angle, Blanche suggested that some evidence in the Epstein files may not be enough to lead to prosecutions.

“But, as you know, it is not a crime to party with Mr Epstein,” Blanche told Ingraham. “And so, as horrible as it is, it’s not a crime to email with Mr Epstein.

“And some of these men may have done horrible things. And, if we have evidence that allows us to prosecute them, you better believe we will.

“But it’s also the kind of thing that the American people need to understand that it isn’t a crime to party with Mr Epstein. It isn’t a crime to have lunch on his island.”

When Ingraham asked whether some of the photos suggest more wrongdoing than simply lunching or partying with Epstein, Blanche was evasive.

“Unfortunately, photos can't speak,” he said. “And so we need witnesses and we need evidence,” before stating all videos from the files have been released.

He did caveat that claim, though.

“Not of any individuals, men having improper sex or anything with victims,” he said. “But there's videos. They're all released for everybody to see.”

Watch: Royal expert warns there is 'more to come' on the Epstein files

A prominent British royal expert has warned that there is “more to come” in the Epstein files.

Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, told the BBC that “it can only get worse” for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew) as more Epstein files continue to be released.

The Clintons' deposition comes after a months-long battle between the presidential couple and a House GOP leader

Getting the Clintons to appear before Congress was the result of a months-long battle between the presidential couple and James Comer, the GOP leader of the House Oversight Committee.

A letter, sent on Saturday seen by The New York Times, found that President Clinton’s lawyers had agreed to a four-hour transcribed interview with the committee.

Up until that point, the Clintons had maintained that a written testimony was enough - given that is what other subpoenaed in the investigation were allowed to do.

Hillary Clinton had argued that she had not even met Epstein, but also agreed to an in-person interview.

But Comer was reportedly enraged. He called their offer “unreasonable” and branded President Clinton as “loquacious.”

“Your clients’ desire for special treatment is both frustrating and an affront to the American people’s desire for transparency,” Comer wrote in a response also seen by the NYT.

Bill Clinton’s agreed deposition will have no time limit or range of topics that Republicans can ask him about.

However, prominent Democrats have continued to slam the deposition, particularly when it comes to Hillary Clinton needing to testify.

“I’m not seeing anything to suggest she ought to be a part of this in any way,” Representative Kweisi Mfume, said at a hearing, according to the NYT.

The Clintons sent several fiery letters to Comer, promising to “fight for this country,” believing the Trump administration is taking the United States “step after step after step backwards.”

“As chairman of this powerful congressional committee, you have immense power to target anyone and subject them to closed door interrogation and more,” one letter sent to Comer read. “The decisions you have made, and the priorities you have set as chairman regarding the Epstein investigation, have prevented progress in discovering facts about the government’s role.”

Former British duchess's charity closes after her correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein was made public

Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, has shuttered her charity after the DOJ released a tranche of emails detailing lengthy correspondence between the British aristocrat and Jeffrey Epstein.

In one email, Ferguson allegedly told Epstein that she needed £20,000. In another, she congratulates the disgraced financier on supposedly fathering a “baby boy,” despite him already being convicted on child sex offences by that point.

Ferguson was also married to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was formerly known as Prince Andrew. In recent years, the disgraced royal has been hounded with the Epstein scandal after a years-long friendship between Andrew and the pedophile was revealed.

Now, Sarah’s Trust, the duchess’s charity, which is dedicated to tackling poverty and inequality, is temporarily closing.

“Our chair, Sarah Ferguson, and the board of trustees have agreed that with regret the charity will shortly close for the foreseeable future,” a statement from the charity read, according to The Guardian. “This has been under discussion and in train for some months.”

The statement continued by highlighting the charities work with 60 other non-profit groups in 20 other countries.

“We delivered over 150,000 aid parcels during the Covid pandemic, provided medical aid and training for those affected by the war in Ukraine and delivered education for over 200 children in Ghana,” the Sarah’s Trust spokesperson added.

President Clinton's spokesperson hits out against the investigation

Angel Ureña, a spokesperson for the Clintons, hit out against James Comer, the Republican chair of the House oversight committee on social media.

Ureña’s scathing post came after Comer doubled down on getting the Clintons to testify, a battle which had been ongoing for several weeks.

“They negotiated in good faith. You did not,” Ureña blasted. “They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care.

“But the former president and former secretary of state will be there,” he continued. “They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone.”

Clintons to testify in House investigation into Epstein

Both former President Bill Clinton and former first lady Hillary Clinton will testify in front of Congress as part of the House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

Neither Clinton has been accused of any criminal wrongdoing, but reversed their long-held refusal to testify after the House Oversight Committee voted to hold them in contempt of Congress.

Both Bill and Hillary Clinton have already submitted written testimony after being subpoenaed, maintaining that they had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity.

They have argued that the legal summonses are “nothing more than a ploy to attempt to embarrass political rivals, as President Trump has directed.”