Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered strong criticism of President Donald Trump on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, alleging that his administration is engaged in a “cover-up” involving records connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Her statements come as she and her husband prepare for upcoming congressional testimony later this month.
“Get the files out. They are slow-walking it,” Clinton told the BBC in an interview recorded in Berlin. “They are redacting the names of men who are in it. They are stonewalling legitimate requests from members of Congress.”
Clinton cited a law passed by Congress mandating the full disclosure of documents tied to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. “What we’re seeing, I think it’s fair to say, amounts to an ongoing cover-up by the Trump Administration,” she said.
Her forceful comments come ahead of her closed-door testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 26. Former President Bill Clinton is slated to testify the following day. The pair initially declined to appear, prompting the committee on Jan. 21 to recommend holding them in contempt of Congress. They reversed course on Feb. 2, just before the House planned to proceed with contempt measures.
Neither Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein, who died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. In January, both Clintons submitted sworn statements detailing their limited interactions with Epstein and Maxwell, who is serving a 20‑year sentence for conspiring with Epstein to exploit minors.
Clinton directed sharp criticism at Attorney General Pam Bondi, who appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 11 during a long and tense hearing. Clinton described Bondi’s testimony as “quite a scene,” alleging Bondi “refused to answer questions, diverted attention away from the matter at hand, and refused to look at the survivors.” Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse were present, and Democrats pushed Bondi to apologize to them—something she did not do.
The Justice Department released more than three million documents, images, and videos related to its Epstein investigation on Jan. 30 following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Still, some lawmakers argue the disclosure is incomplete. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a co-author of the transparency law, has pressed for internal memos and prosecution decision notes to be made public as well.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday night, President Trump dismissed Clinton’s accusations. “I have nothing to hide, I have been exonerated, I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein,” Trump said, adding of the Clintons: “They’re getting pulled in and that’s their problem.”
Clinton argued that she and her husband are being used as political scapegoats. She claimed officials are trying to pull them into the controversy to deflect attention from President Trump, calling the tactic obvious.
The former secretary of state told the BBC she does not remember ever meeting Epstein, though she acknowledged seeing Maxwell “on a few occasions” through the Clinton Global Initiative. Bill Clinton has said Epstein offered his private jet for charity trips between 2002 and 2003, but that he cut ties more than two decades ago.
When asked whether former Prince Andrew should testify before Congress about his connection to Epstein, Clinton responded: “I think everybody should testify who is asked to testify. I just want it to be fair. I want everybody treated the same way.”
Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with the late Virginia Giuffre in February 2022 without admitting liability. Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most widely known accusers, died by suicide in April 2025 at age 41.
The Clintons have consistently asked Congress to allow their testimony to be public rather than behind closed doors. “We will show up but we think it would be better to have it in public,” Clinton said. “We think sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has indicated that public testimony may be possible after the private depositions. If Bill Clinton appears as planned, he would be the first former U.S. president to testify before a congressional committee since Gerald Ford in 1974 regarding his pardon of Richard Nixon.
Clinton cautioned that lawmakers won’t “like what I have to say” during her appearance. “I have very strong opinions about what it is they’re hiding and who they are protecting,” she said, again accusing the Trump administration of redacting names in the released files.
