Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has launched a blistering attack on the Trump administration, accusing the Department of Justice of a "continuing cover-up" regarding the release of millions of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The allegations, made in a BBC interview aired Tuesday, come just days before Hillary and former President Bill Clinton are scheduled to provide historic testimony before the House Oversight Committee.
Clinton Allegations Spark Firestorm Before Hearing
With less than a week until her scheduled deposition on February 26, Hillary Clinton is framing the narrative, claiming the Trump administration is deliberately "slow-walking" the release of critical evidence. Speaking from the World Forum in Berlin, Clinton told the BBC that despite the Jeffrey Epstein document release 2026 mandate, the DOJ is withholding key information.
"Get the files out. They are slow-walking it," Clinton stated, arguing that the heavy redactions in the January 30 release—which included over three million pages—were designed to protect political allies rather than victims. "They are redacting the names of men who are in it. They are stonewalling legitimate requests from members of Congress. That has nothing to do with us. Something is going on."
The accusation of a Trump administration cover-up has intensified the partisan warfare surrounding the House Oversight Committee Epstein hearing. While Republicans have focused on Bill Clinton’s past associations with the disgraced financier, Democrats contend that the current administration is suppressing evidence of President Trump's own connections to Epstein.
Bill Clinton's Congressional Testimony: A Historic Precedent
The upcoming hearings mark a watershed moment in American political history. On February 27, the day after his wife appears, Bill Clinton will become the first former president to testify before a congressional panel since Gerald Ford in 1983. The Bill Clinton congressional testimony is expected to address the photos released in December 2025, which showed the former president with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
The Clintons have pushed for these depositions to be public, arguing that "sunlight is the best disinfectant," though the committee currently plans for closed-door sessions. "We will show up, but we think it would be better to have it in public," Hillary Clinton remarked, suggesting that private depositions could be selectively leaked to damage them politically ahead of the 2026 midterm election news cycle.
Department of Justice Epstein Redactions Under Scrutiny
At the center of the controversy is the implementation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by President Trump in November 2025. While the law mandated full disclosure, Attorney General Pam Bondi's Justice Department has cited privacy concerns and ongoing investigations as reasons for withholding approximately 97% of the total archive until recently.
Critics point to the discrepancy between the law's intent and the Department of Justice Epstein redactions. The January 30 release was substantial in volume but, according to Oversight Committee Democrats, lacked the unredacted flight logs and specific correspondence involving high-level Trump associates that were anticipated.
"President Trump is mentioned in the Epstein files thousands of times, but he refuses to answer any questions," said Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Oversight Committee, who has announced a shadow hearing in Palm Beach to pressure for further unsealing. The administration, however, maintains it has followed the law, with President Trump declaring on Air Force One that he has been "totally exonerated" by the files released so far.
2026 Midterm Election Implications
The timing of these hearings—firmly in the run-up to the 2026 midterms—guarantees that the Epstein saga will remain a central campaign issue. Strategies from both parties are clear: Republicans aim to use the Clintons' testimony to reignite scrutiny of Democratic elites, while Democrats are using the "cover-up" narrative to attack the Trump DOJ's integrity.
As the House Oversight Committee Epstein hearing approaches, the question remains whether the testimony will provide closure for the victims or merely serve as ammunition in Washington's ongoing political battle. For now, Hillary Clinton’s preemptive strike suggests she intends to turn the tables on her accusers when she takes the oath next week.
