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Clinton mentions Pritzker during Epstein deposition
New video from Bill Clinton's Jeffrey Epstein deposition last week shows a reference to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
CHICAGO - Former President Bill Clinton referenced Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker during his deposition with House lawmakers last week as part of a congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, prompting swift clarification from both Clinton’s team and the governor’s office.
What we know:
The House Oversight Committee on Monday released roughly four hours of video from separate depositions of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Lawmakers questioned the former president on Friday and the former Secretary of State on Thursday in closed-door sessions at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center in New York.
The interviews were part of a congressional investigation into Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges.
During his deposition, Bill Clinton said he broke off contact with Epstein before Epstein was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. He said he flew on Epstein’s private jet to attend charity functions but told lawmakers he did not see any signs of Epstein’s abuse.
At one point, Clinton referenced Pritzker and his wife while explaining that supporters and donors sometimes traveled with him to see the work of the Clinton Foundation.
"And then on occasion, I had people who had volunteered to help us and wanted to see what we’re doing. For example, I think it was on one of these trips, I think that I had my first trip for the man who’s now the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker and his wife, they gave me, they helped me get started," Clinton said.
Angel Ureña, Clinton’s former deputy chief of staff, later said on X that the former president was citing Pritzker as an example of someone who traveled to see the foundation’s work, and not as someone who flew on Epstein’s plane.
"President Clinton was simply giving an example of the many people he traveled with to see the Clinton Foundation’s work. Governor Pritzker joined a Clinton Foundation trip in 2008. Not on Epstein’s plane. Not with Epstein. Not with Maxwell," Ureña wrote.
A spokesperson for Pritzker also said the governor never traveled with Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, a long time associate of Epstein.
"Governor Pritzker was asked to travel with President Clinton on two trips, once in 2008 and once in 2013. Neither utilized Jeffrey Epstein’s aircraft, nor was he accompanied by that man or Ghislaine Maxwell," Pritzker’s campaign said in a statement obtained by Capitol Fax. "We understand that the GOP is desperate to deflect from the heinous accusations against President Trump in the Epstein Files, but this is a particularly weak effort to assign blame where there is none."
Other moments from the depositions
The videos show at times tense exchanges with lawmakers.
Hillary Clinton told the committee she did not recall ever meeting Epstein. During questioning, she reacted angrily after Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., sent a photo from the closed session to a conservative influencer, who then posted it publicly.
"I am done with this if you guys are doing that," Hillary Clinton said. "You can hold me in contempt from now until the cows come home."
What Bill Clinton said about Trump
One line of questioning stirred up curiosity from lawmakers, and that was what Clinton had to say about President Donald Trump. He made clear he believed it was important for anyone, including presidents, to come forward and testify to their knowledge of Epstein.
Clinton also shared how he and Trump had briefly discussed Epstein at a charity golf tournament more than 20 years ago. He said Trump had never "said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper with regard to Epstein," but also remarked that those two men had a falling-out over a real estate deal.
Republican lawmakers left the deposition pointing to Clinton's words and arguing that it showed there is no evidence that Trump ever did anything wrong in his own relationship with Epstein.
Democrats, meanwhile, said Clinton's testimony counters what Trump has said more recently about why he and Epstein had a falling-out. Trump has told reporters they had a disagreement because Epstein had hired people away from Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Thomas Pritzker and Jeffrey Epstein
Last month, hotel magnate Thomas Pritzker retired as the executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels after details of his affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein were revealed in documents related to the burgeoning investigation of ties between the notorious sex trafficker and the elite and powerful.
Pritzker, in a statement, said he deeply regrets his association with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
"I exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner," Pritzker said. "I condemn the actions and the harm caused by Epstein and Maxwell and I feel deep sorrow for the pain they inflicted on their victims."
Thomas Pritzker steps down from Hyatt board saying he deeply regrets association with Epstein
Hotel magnate Thomas Pritzker will retire as the executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels after details of his affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein were revealed in documents related to the burgeoning investigation of ties between the notorious sex trafficker and the elite and powerful.
There are many emails between Pritzker and Epstein included in a cache of Epstein-related documents recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice, with several detailing attempts for dinner meet ups and invitations to various functions.
Pritzker, who is the cousin of Gov. JB Pritzker, served as executive chairman of Hyatt for more than 20 years.
Hillary Clinton Epstein deposition
Dig deeper:
Lawmakers also veered into topics including conspiracy theories and questions about disclosing government information on UFOs.
Rep. Boebert asked Hillary Clinton whether there were emails in the case files on Epstein that referenced pizzagate, which posited that Democratic Party insiders harbored child sex slaves in a Washington pizza parlor.
Hillary Clinton responded by saying, "I can't believe you're even referencing it" and reminding her that the conspiracy theory resulted in a man bringing a gun to a Washington restaurant.
However, Republicans did find some agreement with Hillary Clinton when it came to providing more disclosure on what information the government has gathered on UFOs.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., asked the former Secretary of State for her opinion on releasing more information, and she agreed that any releases should not include national security information but that "this is an issue of real importance to so many people."
The Source: The information in this story came from the House Oversight Committee deposition videos, a statement from Angel Ureña on X, a statement from Gov. JB Pritzker’s campaign obtained by Capitol Fax, and The Associated Press.