Hillary Clinton accuses officials of 'cover-up' and calls for Trump to be questioned as she testifies in Epstein probe

She shared her full opening statement as she was called to testify before a US congressional committee investigating the Jeffrey Epstein case.

She said that the committee of "elected officials" owed it to the public to “get to the bottom” of reports that the US Department of Justice withheld FBI interviews in which a survivor accuses President Trump of “heinous crimes."

She also said she had no information about ⁠the ⁠criminal activities of ‌Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.

"I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr Epstein," she said.

During her evidence, she called the Epstein case an ‘institutional failure’ and accused the Trump administration of "abandoning survivors".

She said: "I have spent my life advocating for women and girls.

"If you are new to this issue, let me tell you: Jeffrey Epstein was a heinous individual, but he's far from alone.

"This is not a one-off tabloid sensation or a political scandal. It's a global scourge with an unimaginable human toll."

She said there had been an "institutional failure designed to protect one political party and one public official.

"My heart breaks for the survivors. And I am furious on their behalf," she says.

Her deposition was briefly halted after a photograph was published of her on social media.

The image, posted to X, reportedly broke chamber rules and brought proceedings to a pause as officials worked to establish where the photo came from.

It was posted by Benny Johnson, a right-wing political commentator and Youtuber, who said he was sent the image by Republican Representative Lauren Boebert.

Donald Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

She was speaking at the start of two days of depositions that will also include former president Bill Clinton.

President Trump bowed last year to pressure to release case files on Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.

The Clintons agreed to give evidence after their offers of sworn statements were rebuffed by the Oversight panel and its chairman James Comer threatened criminal contempt of Congress charges against them.

Hillary has said that her husband had flown with Epstein for charitable trips but that she did not ever recall meeting Epstein.

She said she had interacted with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend and confidant, at conferences hosted by the Clinton Foundation.

Maxwell, a British socialite, also attended the 2010 wedding of their daughter, Chelsea Clinton.

"We are more than happy to say what we know, which is very limited and totally unrelated to their behaviour or their crimes, and we want to do it in public," Ms Clinton said.

Bill Clinton, however, has emerged as a top target for Republicans amid the political struggle over who receives the most scrutiny for their ties to Epstein.

Several photos of the former president were included in the first tranche of Epstein files released by the Department of Justice in January, including a number of him with women whose faces were redacted.

Mr Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing in his relationship with Epstein.

Mr Comer has also pointed to Hillary Clinton's work as secretary of state to address sex trafficking as another reason to insist on her deposition.

The committee is working to understand why the Department of Justice under previous presidential administrations did not seek further charges against Epstein following a 2008 arrangement in which he pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl but avoided federal charges.