Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C., told Newsmax on Friday that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton can’t have it both ways — demanding public transparency with regard to her deposition in the Jeffrey Epstein probe while blasting lawmakers over a photo taken of her.
Appearing on “National Report,” Timmons dismissed the controversy as overblown and politically motivated, saying no rules were broken because the deposition had not yet started.
“I think it was unfortunate, but it was also unintentional,” he said of the photo.
Democrats have claimed the image violated agreed-upon procedures for Clinton’s closed-door testimony, but Timmons flatly rejected that argument.
“The deposition had not even started yet, so they're acting like some rules were broken,” he said. “They just weren't.”
Timmons emphasized the timeline, noting the picture was taken prior to Clinton’s formal questioning.
“The photo was taken five minutes before the deposition started,” he said. “Probably shouldn't have been done, but, again, I think this was just a delay tactic on behalf of the secretary.”
The congressman suggested the uproar was designed to shift focus away from the substance of the House Oversight Committee’s work.
“They were trying to just create commotion and get us off message, off, you know, purpose,” he said.
While acknowledging the irritation Clinton may have felt if testimony was expected to remain private, Timmons pointed to what he described as a glaring contradiction in her public stance.
“Hillary Clinton can't come outside and say that she wants everything to be public, and then get mad that a photo occurred,” he said.
The South Carolina Republican doubled down on that theme later in the interview, telling Newsmax, “it wasn't ideal,” but noting again that “it wasn't against the rules.”
“The rules didn't start until the deposition started,” he insisted.
“So, I mean, I get the frustration from the secretary, but you can't come out and say that you want everything to be public and then get mad at a photo,” Timmons said. “I mean, it's just, that's not why we're here.”
Oversight Committee ranking member Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., told reporters the photo was “completely against the rules” and “not acceptable,” saying it was clearly sent out by a committee member. He said he was grateful Clinton continued with the deposition despite the dispute.
But Timmons made clear that Republicans are focused on ensuring that Americans see the full picture when it comes to Epstein and those connected to him.
“I do not think it will happen today with President Clinton,” he said, referring to former President Bill Clinton, whose deposition is scheduled for Friday. “But again, all of these videos will be made public as the American people deserve.”
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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