Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was suddenly forced to stop her testimony about Jeffrey Epstein after an important rule was broken.
Clinton, who claimed that she had 'no idea' about the disgraced financier's criminal dealings, spoke at a deposition on Thursday (26 February), in Chappaqua, New York.
Having previously told the BBC that 'we have nothing to hide', the 78-year-old claimed in her testimony that she hadn't met Epstein at all.
"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," she stated.
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The former first lady also called for President Donald Trump to appear under oath, as his name was mentioned over a thousand times in the Epstein files, 'if this Committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein's trafficking crimes'.
While Clinton posted her opening statement to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on X, her testimony was cut short after a Republican lawmaker snapped a picture of her during the private session.
Representative Lauren Boebert took a photo of Clinton and her attorneys. She reportedly leaked it to MAGA social media personality Benny Johnson, who helped circulate the snap online.
In the post, Johnson said that 'Clinton does not look happy'.
Clinton's lawyers called for the proceedings to be stopped after the snap went viral, arguing that it is prohibited for lawmakers or witnesses to take pictures during closed-door congressional testimony.
Speaking to James Comer, the top Republican overseeing the deposition, Clinton asked if the press would be allowed in the hearing following Boebert's leak, to which he replied, 'no'.
A spokesman for Clinton said to the Daily Mail: "It's against chamber rules that were read at the top of the meeting. So the hearing has been paused briefly while they figure out where the photo came from and why, possibly, members of Congress are violating House rules."
When asked why she shared the picture, Boebert told reporters: "Why not?"
She added: "No, there was no reprimanding, there were no rules violated with the photo."
While the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate was being deposed at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, her husband Bill, is also set to testify later today (27 February).
Yesterday's session was filmed, though all footage will need to be approved by Clinton's lawyers before release.
The deposition resumed within an hour of the halt.
A spokesperson for Bill Clinton said that they 'look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone', as the former US president is pictured several times in the files, including a photo in a hot tub with a woman, whose identity was redacted.
Flight logs for Epstein's private jet reveal that Bill had travelled on the aircraft for trips to the Virgin Islands, Portugal, Siberia, Japan, and China, though he said that these journeys were made for his charitable work.
Being named or mentioned in the Epstein Files doesn’t imply wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
Despite denying a relationship with Epstein, Clinton had been given a $20,000 donation by the sex offender in 1999 while she was fundraising for the Democratic National Committee.
She had admitted to meeting Maxwell several times in the past, with the Epstein co-conspirator also present at the former's daughter's wedding in 2010, after Epstein's first charges of abuse.
Epstein was first arrested in 2008 after soliciting underage sex but spent just 13 months officially behind bars, although he was allowed to work from his office during the day.
In 2019, he was arrested again and charged with the sex trafficking of minors and before he could appear in court, he was found dead in his prison cell.
Topics: Jeffrey Epstein, US News, Crime
Joshua Nair