Clinton accuses Trump of cover-up in Epstein files matter as congressional hearing looms

Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of state has accused the administration of Donald Trump of a cover-up over its handling of files linked to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, intensifying an already charged political battle in Washington.

“Get the files out. They are slow walking it,” Clinton told the BBC in Berlin, where she was attending the annual World Forum. She said the American public deserved full transparency and urged the Justice Department to release all relevant material.

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The White House rejected the allegation. A spokesperson said the administration had done “more for the victims than Democrats ever have” by releasing millions of pages of documents earlier this month.

The files were made public by the United States Department of Justice after Congress passed legislation requiring the release of investigative material related to Epstein. However, officials said about three million pages were withheld because they contain personal medical records, graphic descriptions of child abuse or material that could affect ongoing investigations.

Lawmakers from both parties have argued the release is incomplete. Kentucky Republican representative Thomas Massie, who co-wrote the transparency law, has called on the department to publish internal memos explaining past decisions about whether to charge Epstein and his associates.

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Clinton said she and her husband, Bill Clinton, former US president, support full disclosure. “We have nothing to hide. We have called for the full release of these files repeatedly. We think sunlight is the best disinfectant,” she said.

Both Clintons are due to testify before a congressional oversight committee later this month after initially resisting a request to appear. A planned vote to hold them in contempt of Congress was shelved when they agreed to attend. Bill Clinton is scheduled to appear on February 27, with Hillary Clinton testifying the day before.

It will be the first time a former US president has testified before a congressional panel since Gerald Ford did so in 1983.

Clinton has urged that the hearing be held in public rather than behind closed doors. “We will show up but we think it would be better to have it in public,” she said. “I just want it to be fair. I want everybody treated the same way.”

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Republican committee chair James Comer accused the couple of delay, saying they “caved” as the prospect of a contempt vote drew closer.

Clinton also suggested that the renewed focus on her and her husband was designed to distract from pressure on Trump. “Look at this shiny object. We are going to have the Clintons, even Hillary Clinton, who never met the guy,” she said.

She acknowledged meeting Ghislaine Maxwell “on a few occasions”. Bill Clinton was named in documents related to Epstein, but has said he ended contact with him two decades ago. Neither Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing by survivors of Epstein’s abuse, and both have denied knowing about his crimes at the time.

Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison cell on August  10, 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death and the powerful figures linked to him continue to cast a long shadow over American politics.