前总统比尔·克林顿与前国务卿希拉里·克林顿就唐纳德·特朗普是否应在杰弗里·爱泼斯坦调查中作证,对众议院议员作出截然不同回应,新公布视频显示


上周,在被问及总统唐纳德·特朗普是否应在针对爱泼斯坦的调查中作证时,前总统比尔·克林顿和前国务卿希拉里·克林顿向众议院议员给出了截然不同的回应,新公布的视频显示。

两人均在其家乡纽约州查帕奎克市闭门向众议院监督委员会作证数小时。

民主党方面还询问两人,鉴于特朗普本人已知与已故金融家、性交易者有过往联系,他是否应亲自前往委员会作证。

“当然应该。”希拉里·克林顿在民主党工作人员提出问题时回答道。

她援引了涉及作家E.让·卡罗尔的民事案件,在该案件中,特朗普因诽谤卡罗尔(卡罗尔指控其对其实施性侵)被判民事责任,以及纽约市法院就其试图掩盖向成人电影明星斯托米·丹尼尔斯支付款项的指控作出的34项刑事判决。

特朗普均否认在这两起案件中有任何不当行为。

这两起案件均与爱泼斯坦无关,但希拉里·克林顿称这证明了一种“行为模式”,与委员会的调查相关。

“我认为,为了符合委员会调查的范围,应该安排总统特朗普进行证词陈述。我知道他已经被传讯过很多很多次了。他第五修正案(拒绝自证其罪)已经援引过很多很多次了,”她辩称。

“所以我不是说你能得到很多信息,但根据文件中的内容以及过去和先前的行为,他会在我的证人名单上。”

然而,比尔·克林顿的回应则更为克制。

特朗普在21世纪初感谢佛罗里达州警方调查爱泼斯坦,并指出‘邪恶’的吉斯莱恩·麦克斯韦:FBI文件

当委员会最高民主党人、加利福尼亚州民主党众议员罗伯特·加西亚问及特朗普是否应被传唤时,前总统没有明确表示支持或反对。

“这由你们决定。但他确实很了解他,我曾经和他简短讨论过这个问题,”比尔·克林顿说。

加西亚试图转向下一位民主党议员,比尔·克林顿却再次插话:“我很讨厌这样,因为我认为我不应该注入任何东西,但我不想留下这样的印象,不过既然没有后续问题,他从来没有——总统从来没有,这是20多年前的事了,从未对我说过任何让我觉得他在爱泼斯坦事件中有不当行为的话。”

“他只是说,‘我们是朋友。后来因为一笔土地交易、房地产交易闹翻了。’仅此而已,”比尔·克林顿说。

他接着说,谈话发生在特朗普的高尔夫球场上,他“不知怎么”知道前总统曾乘坐过爱泼斯坦的飞机。

“他说,‘这些年来我们度过了一些美好时光,但都因为一笔房地产交易闹翻了。’他说,‘很遗憾发生了这件事。’仅此而已,”前总统说。

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他的证词整体上戏剧性远少于妻子希拉里,希拉里在自己的证词中多次被南卡罗来纳州共和党众议员南希·梅斯等人在多个争议点上质询。

有一次,希拉里·克林顿甚至在发现科罗拉多州共和党众议员劳伦·博伯特因发布前国务卿的照片违反证词规则而被斥责后,暂时愤然离席。

伊丽莎白·埃尔金德是福克斯新闻数字版的政治记者,负责众议院相关报道。其此前在《每日邮报》和哥伦比亚广播公司新闻的数字署名可见。

在Twitter上关注@liz_elkind,并将线索发送至elizabeth.elkind@fox.com。

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave very different responses to House lawmakers last week when asked whether President Donald Trump should testify in their Jeffrey Epstein probe, newly released video shows.

Both testified to the House Oversight Committee behind closed doors for hours in their hometown of Chappaqua, New York.

Each was also asked by the Democratic side whether Trump should come before the committee himself, given his own known past ties to the late financier and sex trafficker.

“Absolutely,” Hillary Clinton answered when the question was posed by Democrats’ staff.

She cited the civil case involving writer E. Jean Carroll in which Trump was found civilly liable for defaming Carroll over her allegations that he sexually assaulted her, as well as the 34-count criminal verdict by a New York City court related to allegations he sought to cover up payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing in both cases.

Neither case relates to Epstein, but Hillary Clinton claimed it proved a “pattern” of behavior that would be relevant to the committee’s probe.

“I think that it would be in keeping with the scope of the investigation of this committee to set up a deposition with President Trump. I know he’s been deposed many, many, many times. He’s taken the Fifth Amendment many, many hundreds of times,” she argued.

“So I’m not saying you’re going to get a lot of information, but given what’s in the files, and given past and prior conduct, he would be on my witness list.”

Bill Clinton’s response was far more muted, however.

TRUMP THANKED FLORIDA POLICE FOR EPSTEIN PROBE IN 2000S, FLAGGED ‘EVIL’ GHISLAINE MAXWELL: FBI DOC

When asked by Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the committee’s top Democrat, whether Trump should be called in, the former president did not express support one way or another.

“That’s for you to decide. But he did know him well, and I once had a brief discussion with him about it,” Bill Clinton said.

Garcia attempted to move on to the next Democratic lawmaker before Bill Clinton cut in again, “I hate this, because I don’t believe I should inject anything, but I do not want to leave the impression, but since there was no follow-up question, he never — the president never, this is 20-something years ago, never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper with regard to Epstein, either.”

“He just said, ‘We were friends. And then we had a falling out over a land deal, property deal.’ That’s all,” Bill Clinton said.

He then said the conversation occurred on Trump’s golf course and that he “somehow” knew that the former president had flown on Epstein’s plane.

“And he said, you know, ‘We had some great times together over the years, but we fell out all because of a real estate deal.’ And he said, ‘I’m sorry it happened.’ That’s all,” the former president said.

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His deposition included far fewer dramatic moments on the whole than his wife’s, who was confronted by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and others during multiple explosive points in her own deposition.

At one point, Hillary Clinton even temporarily stormed out of her seat after it was discovered that Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., had run afoul of the deposition’s rules by posting a photo of the former secretary of state.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

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