“各位，别再玩弄手段了，让我们以正确的方式处理此事：举行公开听证会，让美国人民亲眼看看这到底是怎么回事。”他补充道。
此前，共和党领导的众议院小组委员会威胁称，若克林顿夫妇不遵守与爱泼斯坦案相关的传票要求，将对其藐视国会罪进行惩处。之后，克林顿夫妇同意闭门接受质询，作为该小组委员会爱泼斯坦调查的一部分。传票明确要求的是闭门质询，而非公开听证会。
该委员会主席、众议员詹姆斯·科默表示，希拉里·克林顿定于2月26日接受质询。比尔·克林顿则将于次日，即2月27日出庭，科默说道。
克林顿夫妇的律师乔恩·斯克拉达尼在致科默的一封信中也表示，公开听证会“最能符合我们对公平性的关切”，但最终是否举行听证会或质询的决定权在科默手中。
科默曾表示，闭门质询将进行录音录像，视频和文字记录将向公众公开。科默还向Newsmax表示，如果克林顿夫妇之后仍希望在公开听证会上作证，他们将受到欢迎。
比尔·克林顿在周五的X平台(原推特)上发文，对这一安排提出了批评。
“这种安排对谁有利?不是爱泼斯坦的受害者，他们应得到公正对待;也不是公众，他们应了解真相。这只会服务于党派利益。这不是在查明事实，而是纯粹的政治操作。”他写道。
比尔·克林顿和希拉里·克林顿均未被指控有不当行为，且两人均否认知晓爱泼斯坦的罪行。没有爱泼斯坦案的幸存者或相关人士曾公开指控这位前总统或其妻子在与爱泼斯坦的过往关系中有不当行为或过失。
美国总统唐纳德·特朗普表示，他认为克林顿夫妇被要求出庭作证“很遗憾”。
“有人针对比尔·克林顿，这让我很不舒服。要知道，我喜欢比尔·克林顿。我仍然喜欢比尔·克林顿。”特朗普本周早些时候在接受NBC新闻的广泛采访时说道。
Former President Bill Clinton makes case for public hearing in House Epstein probe
ers, let’s stop the games&do this the right way: in a public hearing, where the American people can see for themselves what this is really about," he added.
The Clintons have agreed to sit for closed-door depositions as part of the panel's Epstein probe after the GOP-led House panel threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress forfailing to comply with itssubpoenasrelating to Epstein. The subpoenas explicitly called fordepositions, not public hearings.
Rep. James Comer, the committee's chairman, said Hillary Clinton is scheduled to sit for deposition on Feb. 26. Bill Clinton will appear the following day, Feb. 27, Comer said.
A letter from the Clintons' attorney, Jon Skladany, to Comer also said an open hearing "will best suit our concerns about fairness," but ultimately left the decision about whether to hold a hearing or a deposition up to Comer.
Comer has said the closed-door depositions will be taped, and that the video and transcripts will be made public. Comer also told Newsmax that if the Clintons still wanted to testify in a public hearing after that, they would be welcome to do so.
Bill Clinton, in his posts on X on Friday, criticized the arrangements.
"Who benefits from this arrangement? It’s not Epstein’s victims, who deserve justice. Not the public, who deserve the truth. It serves only partisan interests. This is not fact-finding, it’s pure politics," he wrote.
NeitherBill Clinton norHillary Clintonhas been accused of wrongdoing and both deny having any knowledge of Epstein'scrimes.No Epstein survivororassociate has ever made a public allegation of wrongdoing orinappropriate behaviorbythe formerpresident orhis wifeinconnection with his priorrelationship with Epstein.
President Donald Trump has said he thinks it's a "shame" that the Clintons are being called by lawmakers to testify.
"It bothers me that somebody is going afterBillClinton. See, I likeBillClinton.I still likeBillClinton,"Trump told NBC News in a wide-ranging interview earlier this week.
