Former U.S. Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton accused Republicans on the House Oversight Committee on Thursday of covering up President Donald Trump's connections to the files of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"If this committee were serious about learning the truth about Epstein's crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our sitting president about his involvement — it would ask him directly, under oath, about the tens of thousands of times he appears in the Epstein files," she stated as part of her testimony after being subpoenaed to appear.

Clinton emphasized that rather than questioning Trump, she had been called to testify "to distract attention from the actions" of the Republican president and to conceal them, despite what she described as "legitimate calls" for him to address the case.

"What is being withheld? Who is being protected? And why this cover-up?" Clinton asked, sharing her written testimony on social media shortly before her closed-door appearance.

"The committee, led by elected officials with a stated commitment to transparency, would — if it wanted to reach the truth — guarantee the full release of all the files, ensuring that any redactions protect victims and survivors, not powerful men and political allies," she argued.

She further stated that a genuinely truth-seeking committee would "get to the bottom of reports indicating that the Department of Justice withheld FBI interviews in which a survivor accuses President Trump of atrocious crimes."

Clinton also said the committee should "demand that prosecutors from Florida and New York testify about why they gave Epstein favorable treatment and chose not to pursue others who may have been involved," adding that it should also call Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify.

She maintained that the committee's current actions are designed "to protect a political party and a public official rather than seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors, as well as for the public, which also wants to get to the bottom of this matter."

The former presidential candidate also noted that the Trump Administration shut down the State Department's Office on Trafficking in Persons and cut by 70 percent the staff dedicated to civil affairs and foreign relations "who worked so hard to prevent trafficking crimes."

"The annual trafficking report, required by law, was delayed for months. The Trump Administration's message to the American people and to the world could not be clearer: combating human trafficking is no longer a priority of the United States under the Trump White House," she declared, calling the situation both a "tragedy" and a "scandal."

"I Had No Knowledge" of Epstein's Criminal Activity

On a separate matter, Clinton reiterated that she "had no knowledge" of Epstein's criminal activities. "I don't recall ever meeting Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, his homes, or his offices," she said, adding that, "like any normal person," she was "horrified" when she learned of his crimes.

Clinton called it "incomprehensible" that Epstein received a lenient deal in 2008 that allowed him to continue "his predatory practices for another decade." "He was a horrific individual, but he was not alone. This is not something sensationalistic or a political scandal. It is a global scourge with an unimaginable human cost," she concluded.

Clinton's testimony, which will also include questions from members of Congress, is taking place behind closed doors in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons maintain a residence, though the committee is expected to release the video at a later date.

Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, is scheduled to testify on Friday. The former Democratic president (1993–2001) appears in multiple photographs released by the Department of Justice as part of the Epstein files disclosure, including one taken in a hot tub at a property belonging to the late financier.

Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee accused the Department of Justice on Tuesday of concealing Epstein-related files that allegedly link President Trump to the sexual abuse of a minor.

Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on charges of sexually abusing and trafficking dozens of underage girls in the early 2000s. The financier, who had at various points associated with figures including Prince Andrew of England, President Donald Trump, and former President Bill Clinton, was found dead by apparent hanging in his cell just one month after his arrest.