Larry Summers resigns from OpenAI board over Epstein emails

On Tuesday, the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight, James Comer, stated that former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may face legal risks due to newly disclosed documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.

"We expect to hear from Bill and Hillary Clinton," Comer noted on the show. "Trump has been questioned for years about Jeffrey Epstein. He responds to related questions every day in front of the American public. We have issued subpoenas to both Republicans and Democrats."

Media have contacted the Clintons via email outside of work hours for comment.

Focus of the Situation

Comer's remarks highlight that records related to the scandalous financier Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide while awaiting trial, are set to be released and have become a storm in American politics. Both sides are preparing to deal with the potential impact of the documents.

Although there is no evidence that the Clintons were involved in any illegal activities, speculation about potential legal risks has added new tension to an already intense debate—surrounding transparency, accountability, and the politicization of the Epstein case.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton at the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017. | Win McNamee/AP

Background Summary

The Department of Justice said on Friday it is investigating alleged connections between Epstein and prominent Democrats, including Bill Clinton, who has repeatedly denied knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities.

As part of the investigation, Comer has issued subpoenas to the Clintons and eight others. Previously, the House released over 20,000 pages of Epstein-related documents last week.

In the latest batch of disclosed communications, there are emails involving Trump, including one from Mark Epstein, the brother of Jeffrey Epstein, mentioning photos of Trump "getting close" to "the big guy." Although "the big guy" is a nickname for Clinton, Mark Epstein clarified to media that it did not refer to the former president. He described these exchanges as lighthearted sibling banter and never intended them to be public or taken literally.

Although Trump has long suggested that Clinton's use of Epstein's private jet was suspicious, there have been no surviving witnesses or individuals who have accused Clinton of any misconduct related to Epstein. The Clinton Foundation responded to this round of attention by stating that these emails "prove that Bill Clinton was not involved in any wrongdoing and was unaware," and that the controversy is being used as a political distraction.

According to reports, flight records from previous civil lawsuits showed that Clinton had frequently flown on Epstein's plane in 2002 and 2003, traveling to various places in Asia, Africa, and Europe with staff members.

Comer pointed out that although some Democrats have formally stated they knew nothing about Epstein, the Clintons have never responded to congressional inquiries and have never accepted questions from journalists or investigators about their relationship with Epstein.

"Other Democrats have sent letters claiming they knew nothing about Epstein, and such statements are binding in court—if evidence later shows they actually knew, it would constitute perjury," he said. "But the Clintons have never responded. They are the only group in this investigation that has never been interviewed by credible journalists, and they have never answered questions from lawyers or congressmen."

"Therefore, we expect the Clintons to be called before the committee, or I expect them to face the same outcome as Bannon and Navarro—when the Democrats controlled Congress," he concluded.

Bannon, a former White House strategist for Trump, was charged with a crime for refusing to testify before the House Select Committee on the January 6th Capitol Riot. A federal jury ultimately found him guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress and sentenced him to four months in prison in 2022.

Trump's former senior trade adviser, Navarro, also faced a similar fate. He was also sentenced to four months in federal prison for resisting the same committee's subpoena.

"Democrats have developed 'Trump hatred syndrome,' " Comer commented. "They just hope there are some things in these documents that can implicate Trump—despite the fact that they themselves don't know where exactly."

Democrats countered that the investigation aims to divert public attention from the mention of Trump in the emails. Out of the 2,324 emails reviewed, more than 1,600 mentioned Trump.

Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight, emphasized that Trump is trying to "avoid our serious new questions about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein." Trump has denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein's crimes.

This Tuesday, lawmakers in both the House and Senate passed a resolution overwhelmingly to require the Department of Justice to release the Epstein case records, after Republican lawmakers and the Trump administration had repeatedly delayed the process.

Subsequent Developments

The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed a bill with overwhelming majority, requiring the Department of Justice to release the Epstein case records within 30 days of the bill taking effect. This legislation has now been submitted to the desk of President Trump, who has stated he plans to sign it.

This article is a deep translation, for exchange and learning purposes only, and does not represent the author's views.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7574633807379235382/

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