Transcription
In your opening remarks, you mentioned this is political theater and partisan. Do you believe the Epstein files are a vast right-wing conspiracy?
I think if they are fully released as the Transparency Act requires, that would be fulfilling the uh responsibility of the Justice Department. But it appears that there have been uh many uh issues with the full release. So, I'm not going to characterize it other than to say I think that's a well-known uh fact.
Are you aware that both Republicans and Democrats voted to subpoena you and your husband?
I am here.
Okay. Are you aware both Republicans and Democrats voted to hold you in contempt when you didn't show up?
I am here.
Is that partisan? When both parties vote to do something together, is that partisan or nonpartisan?
I think it's standing up for the institution, but there are many other aspects of the committee's work that strikes me as avoiding the main issues about who should be sitting here, who has actual information that might be useful to your uh investigation.
As a survivor, I'm a survivor. I appreciated your opening statement and your prioritizing some of these issues. Have you always believed this way? Have you believed this way for some time?
Have I? What?
Have you believed what you believed in your opening statement for some time?
Yes, I have.
Um, how long have you had those beliefs or held those beliefs in your opening statement?
Very long.
In 1998, you had those same beliefs?
Yes.
2005?
Yes.
2008?
Yes.
2012?
Sure.
2016?
Mhm.
2020?
Mhm.
2024 to present day. You've held these beliefs the whole time?
Yes, I have.
Um, have you always believed that women abused by powerful men should be believed?
I know where you're going with this and I have nothing to say about anything in the past. I'm here to answer questions about this investigation.
So, do you believe that women who are abused in EP by Epstein and an Epstein circle of associates should be believed?
I think that many of them have made uh very credible accusations.
Have you always thought that Do you think that women abused by powerful men should get justice?
I think that they should have their time to be evaluated and where there is adequate evidence they should certainly get justice and perpetrators should be held to
the question was have you thought always thought that women abused by powerful men should get justice.
Yes, absolutely.
Um I agree. Um are you aware that uh you were aware I think you said this earlier that Jeffrey Epstein was convicted in 2008 for procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute. Correct.
That's what the uh charges were. Yes.
And uh you were aware of that in 2008?
I don't recall that I was aware then.
And in 2008, you were a US senator still?
I was.
Um would you say that Jeffrey Epstein is one of the world's most prolific sex traffickers?
From what we know, he's certainly uh engaged in his predatory activities for a long period of time.
Would you say he's one of the world's most prolific sex traffickers?
I I I don't know what to compare it to. their terrible sex trafficking rings all over the world.
Um, and you were, you said you were Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013.
And you state your agency prioritize combating sex trafficking internationally. Correct.
That's correct.
During your time as Secretary of State, did you or the state receive any intelligence cables or briefings mentioning Epste's foreign travel, Pedophile Island, or his network of pedophiles and sex trafficking?
Not that I am aware of. No.
Um, how did you miss it if he's, I believe, one of the most prolific sex traffickers in the world. You were Secretary of State. How did you miss it?
Well, that would have been a matter of the Justice Department, not the State Department.
But in your opening statement, in your statements earlier, in your opening statement, you stated that Secretary Rubio should be called to testify. And you said that he has, and the administration has quote abandoned survivors using the same logic. You were Secretary of State during a time period after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted of being a pedophile and soliciting children for sex. Why then did you quote using your own logic abandon survivors?
Uh was what what is the question please?
I I I I I followed her comment. First of all, we focused on whether there were laws that made sex trafficking, sexual slavery, domestic violence, other abuses of women on the books in countries. And then we tried to evaluate were those laws being implemented and were judges appropriately trained and briefed about how to implement those laws. Were governments taking them seriously? We looked at the broad institutional approach to these very serious abuses.
Would you say the US government at that time during this time period was appropriate with the way that it handled Epstein?
I I don't think that you could say that was true about any of the government's um prosecutorial efforts starting with uh the Southern District of Florida and Alex Aosta and all those who basically gave him a sweetheart deal and then I think going up the chain. There was very little attention paid uh that should have been paid but the but we had laws on the books. They were not being implemented but that was not within my purview because what we were looking at is what's the institutional structure and do can we do more to make sure countries take it seriously.
Our country had laws on the books. This man was not held to account. If it was not in your purview when you were secretary of state then why is it today in Secretary Rubio's purview?
Because what's happened is that the office that was actually following what was going on around the world has been decimated. 70% of the staff is gone. It's impossible to carry out the functions of that office if you don't have a critical number of people. So my question would be to Secretary Rubio, is there more that can be
I'm running out of time here. Um you were clothed with immense power as Secretary of State. You've stated on the record in your opening statement that that uh child sex trafficking, sex trafficking in general, human trafficking, trafficking of all kinds is a priority. You were clothed with immense power. Your husband was clothed with immense power. And until you got the subpoena and until these files were out in the open, you did nothing to try to affectuate all of these things. You say that should have been done. Is that correct?
No, it's totally uncorrect. I mean, all of your assumptions are ones that I reject.
Um, when you saw photos of your husband in a hot tub laying on a beach and getting massaged by other women, and you knew that Jeffrey Epste was involved in some of these trips and these things, did it concern you at all?
I'm here not to offer my opinions. I'm here to answer specific questions to the best of my ability.
When you saw your husband in these photos of the young woman being massaged, what went through your mind?
I am not going to speculate.
You didn't have any feelings about young women massaging your husband?
I am not going to offer opinions or speculation about anything that I have no context for and was not there.
Um, after you learn that Jeffrey Epste was convicted of sex crimes, sex crimes with kids, any of these photos of your husband with women being massaged on the beach that concern you?
I I have no context for even answering that question. And I think, you know, obviously the innuendo, all the rest of it,
I'm asking a black and white question. I'm not putting any leading statements into it or adjectives. Did you do anything to determine what was happening in those images or on those trips that you once you saw these photos once you realized Jeffrey Epstein was a convicted sex offender of children, did you do anything to determine what was happening on these trips with your husband?
I don't find any of your questions to be relevant to the investigation. if a former president was traveling around with young women.
Well, you'll have a chance you'll have a chance to talk to him tomorrow.
Um, you said this morning you did not solicit funds from Jeffrey Epste. Correct.
That's absolutely correct.
Um, did anyone solicit funds from Jeffrey Epste on your behalf?
Not that I'm aware of.
Did you ever invite Jeffrey Epste or Delane Maxwell to any of your political fundraisers?
I did not personally invite them to my political fundraiser.
Did anyone personally invite them on your behalf?
You I do not know.
Is the purpose of a political fundraiser to solicit funds?
You would know that it is.
Okay. And you stated this morning you've never communicated with a Sarah Kay. Correct.
I do not know who Sarah Kay is.
Okay. She's a council woman from New Rochelle, which is about how many miles from here?
Not very far away.
20 to 25.
I have no idea.
Um, I have an exhibit I would like to enter. This is an email dated September 30th, 2014. Am I allowed to enter an exhibit?
Yes, ma'am. Uh, this will be exhibit 13, I believe. Majority exhibit 13.
Okay. From September 30th, 2014.
Please provide the witness with a copy.
Okay. You have a copy of it. You guys have it.
Thank you very much. I appreciate it. And can you read me the subject line of the email?
Following up event with Hillary Clinton and Congresswoman Loey.
Do you know who Congresswoman Loey is?
She was our congresswoman here for many years.
And who is the email from?
Someone named Sarah Kay.
Uh above that at the very Oh, you have that very top one. Okay. Um All right. From Sarah K. And it's redacted on who it was sent to. Um, can you read me the email?
Okay, thank you very much for the prompt reply. Hi Sarah, thank you for the invitation, but unfortunately Jeffrey will not be able to attend. Thanks so much for speaking with me just now. Attached, please find the invitation and response card for the event we spoke about with Hillary Clinton and Congresswoman Loey at the Harvard Club.
That was a um
that was a uh fundraiser I believe for Congresswoman Loey [snorts] that I attended to support her is my my recollection.
Okay. And um and this is a this was an email this is an invitation to the fundraiser where you were there. Um
do you have any idea if the Epstein referred to is the Jeffrey Epste? There's a lot of people named Epstein in this uh uh area.
This is in the DOJ files. I I have no knowledge of it.
It says Mr. and Mrs. Epstein.
Yeah, I have no knowledge of this.
Okay. Um, so it could be a different Jeffrey Epstein. I I have You're You're showing me an email from someone who I don't recall knowing about a fundraiser that wasn't for me, but was for Congresswoman Loey. I have no information.
I I went to the fundraiser to support my friend Nita Loey.
All right. Um, excuse me. Can I interrupt? I have another photos that are being released of the secretary as she is testifying from inside this room. Can you please advise me as to whether or not that's permissible and consistent with the rules, particularly given that we have asked for a public hearing, if there are photos that are being released of the secretary as she is testifying, can you please explain how that
I'm done with this. If you guys are doing that, I am done. You can hold me in contempt from now until the cows come home. This is just typical behavior.
Oh, for heaven.
So, I would like to understand how that permissible
before the hearing was.
It doesn't matter. We all are abiding by the same rules.
I I will take that down.
Yeah. Well, I would like to take a break at this moment. I'd like to have for now.
Go off the record.
Go off the record.