00:27Mr. Chairman, ranking member,
00:29members of the committee. As a former senator, I have respect for legislative oversight and I expect its exercise, as
00:37do the American people, to be principled and fearless in pursuit of truth and accountability. As we all know, however,
00:44too often congressional investigations are partisan political theater, which is an abdication of duty and an insult to the American
00:52people. The committee justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into
00:59the
00:59criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Let me be as clear as I can. I do not. As
01:06I stated in my sworn declaration on January 13th, I had no idea about their criminal activities.
01:12I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or
01:19offices. I have nothing to add to that. Like every decent person, I have been horrified by what we have
01:25learned about their crimes.
01:26It's unfathomable that Mr. Epstein initially got a slap on the wrist in 2008, which allowed him to continue his
01:34predatory practices for another decade.
01:37Mr. Chairman, your investigation is supposed to be assessing the federal government's handling of the investigations and prosecutions of Epstein
01:44and his crimes.
01:46You subpoenaed eight law enforcement officials, all of whom ran the Department of Justice or directed the FBI when Epstein's
01:53crimes were investigated and prosecuted.
01:56Of those eight, only one appeared before the committee. Five of the six former attorneys general were allowed to submit
02:03brief statements stating they had no information to provide.
02:06You have held zero public hearings, refused to allow the media to attend them, including today, despite espousing the need
02:14for transparency on dozens of occasions.
02:17You have made little effort to call the people who show up most prominently in the Epstein files, and when
02:23you did, not a single Republican member showed up for Les Wexter's deposition.
02:27This institutional failure is designed to protect one political party and one public official, rather than to seek truth and
02:35justice for the victims and survivors, as well as the public, who also want to get to the bottom of
02:40this matter.
02:41My heart breaks for the survivors, and I am furious on their behalf.
02:45I have spent my life advocating for women and girls.
02:47I have worked hard to stop the terrible abuses so many women and girls face here and around the world,
02:54including human trafficking, forced labor, and sexual slavery.
02:58For too long, these have been largely invisible crimes or not treated as crimes at all.
03:03But the survivors are real, and they are entitled to better.
03:07In Southeast Asia, I met girls as young as 12 years old who were forced into prostitution and raped repeatedly.
03:13Some were dying of AIDS.
03:15In Eastern Europe, I met mothers who told me how they lost daughters to trafficking and did not know where
03:21to turn.
03:22In settings around the world, I met survivors trying to rebuild their lives and help rescue others,
03:27with little support from people in power who too often turned a blind eye and a cold shoulder.
03:33If you are new to this issue, let me tell you, Jeffrey Epstein was a heinous individual, but he's far
03:39from alone.
03:40This is not a one-off tabloid sensation or a political scandal.
03:44It's a global scourge with an unimaginable human toll.
03:48My work combating sex trafficking goes back to my days as First Lady.
03:52I worked to pass the first federal legislation against trafficking and was proud that my husband signed the Trafficking Victims
03:59Protection Act,
03:59which increased support for survivors and gave prosecutors better tools for going after traffickers.
04:05As Secretary of State, I appointed a former federal prosecutor, Lucy DeBaca, to ramp up our global anti-trafficking efforts.
04:14I oversaw nearly 170 anti-trafficking programs in 70 nations and directly pressed foreign leaders to crack down on trafficking
04:22networks in their countries.
04:24Every year, we published a global report to shine a light on abuses.
04:28The findings of those reports triggered sanctions on countries failing to make progress,
04:33so they became a powerful diplomatic tool to drive concrete action.
04:37I insisted that the United States be included in the report for the first time ever in 2011,
04:43because we must hold ourselves not just to the same standard as the rest of the world, but to an
04:49even higher one.
04:50Sex trafficking and modern slavery should have no place in America. None.
04:55Infuriatingly, the Trump administration gutted the trafficking in persons office at the State Department,
05:01cutting more than 70 percent of the career civil and foreign service experts who worked so hard to prevent trafficking
05:07crimes.
05:08The annual trafficking report required by law was delayed for months.
05:12The message from the Trump administration to the American people and the world could not be clearer.
05:17However, combating human trafficking is no longer an American priority under the Trump White House.
05:22That is a tragedy. It's a scandal. It deserves vigorous investigation and oversight.
05:28A committee endeavoring to stopping human trafficking would seek to understand what specific steps are needed to fix a system
05:35that allowed Epstein to get away with his crimes in 2008.
05:38A committee run by elected officials with a commitment to transparency would ensure the full release of all the files.
05:45It would ensure that the lawful redactions of those files protected the victims and survivors, not powerful men and political
05:52allies.
05:53It would get to the bottom of reports that DOJ withheld FBI interviews in which a survivor accuses President Trump
05:59of heinous crimes.
06:00It would subpoena anyone who asked which night there would be the wildest party on Epstein's Island.
06:06It would demand testimony from prosecutors in Florida and New York about why they gave Epstein a sweetheart deal and
06:12chose not to pursue others who may have been implicated.
06:15It would demand that Secretary Rubio and Attorney General Bondi testify about why this administration is abandoning survivors and playing
06:23into the hands of traffickers.
06:25It would seek out officers on the front lines of this fight and ask them what support they need.
06:30It would put forth legislation to provide more resources and force this administration to act.
06:36But that's not happening.
06:37Instead, you have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation.
06:43In order to distract attention from President Trump's actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers.
06:50If this committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein's trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles
06:57to get answers from our current president on his involvement.
07:01It would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein
07:06files.
07:07If the majority was serious, it would not waste time on fishing expeditions.
07:18My challenge to you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, is the same challenge I put to myself throughout my
07:25long service to this nation.
07:26How to be worthy of the trust the American people have given you.
07:30They expect statesmanship, not gamesmanship.
07:34Leading, not grandstanding.
07:35They expect you to use your power to get to the truth and to do more to help survivors of
07:41Epstein's crimes, as well as the millions more who are victims of sex trafficking.
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