03/02/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/03/2026 17:11
WASHINGTON - Last week, Representative Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), a member of the House Oversight Committee, traveled to Chappaqua, New York, to take part in the Clintons' deposition.
Ansari slammed the Department of Justice and House Republicans for failing to hold this Epstein administration accountable and demanded that President Donald Trump come before the Oversight Committee.
Watch what Congresswoman Ansari has been saying this week below:
CNN: The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
Rep. Ansari: "This is the most egregious cover-up in American history, and I am not surprised that the Department of Justice has covered this up. That's why I've been calling for Pam Bondi to be held in contempt or impeached because she has been complicit in this and has a direct hand in this cover-up. But I also want to point out the fact that Kash Patel and the FBI are also complicit in this. The files that are missing are FBI interviews with the individual who came forward with these allegations of abuse when she was a minor. Kash Patel went in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee under oath and said that there is no credible evidence that anybody else was involved in Jeffrey Epstein's crimes or that he trafficked anyone underage to anybody else. So I have serious reservations and questions for Kash Patel. In addition to Pam Bondi, because of the recent reporting by The Times."
Rep. Ansari: "I am extremely, extremely appalled by the Republican Chairman's behavior today and by the behavior of the entire committee and how unserious they are about this investigation."
Rep. Ansari: "So this is political theater. It's very disappointing. There are more than a thousand victims, many of whom were children at the time of their abuse. We should be doing everything we can to identify who the co-conspirators and perpetrators are, bring them before Congress, and actually hold people accountable and not the kind of nonsense that's happening today."
Rep Ansari: "I think that the pressure is going to continue to build on Republicans and their complicity in this cover-up. The reporting this week has been damning. I don't know how Republican members of Congress, outside of the people like Thomas Massey, who have been very clear in their position. I don't know how they are going to remain in their seats if they continue to enable and be complicit in this cover-up. I mean, this is unacceptable. And it's not just Donald Trump. There are many other people. Why is Howard Lutnick not in front of this?"
"So Kash Patel has lied under oath. That is very clear. The list goes on and on."
"The moment Democrats take the majority and we have the power to issue these subpoenas, I can assure you there will be a long list of people and institutions, and companies that will be subpoenaed in relation to the Epstein investigation."
MS Now: The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Rep. Ansari: "I think we learned that most of the Republicans in Congress, certainly on our committee, are not serious about this being a bipartisan investigation that gets to the facts and the truth. You mentioned Lauren Boebert releasing or sending that photo to a right-wing influencer. The other thing I saw on their social media earlier today was, as they were arriving to the hearing, they were taking these photos together, smiling, gleeful, very excited. They look like an overdressed group headed to Disney World. They were so happy about this hearing because it was their opportunity to fulfill their long fever dream of locking up Hillary Clinton, and they thought this was the time they were really going to get her, and they got absolutely nothing. Because the truth is, she never met Jeffrey Epstein, had no real relationship with Maxwell, never went to the island, and has no knowledge about his crimes that could help our investigation."
Rep. Ansari: "Ultimately, I'm taking this investigation very seriously as Oversight Democrats are, because the purpose of it is not to just bring forward as many people as possible, former presidents, etc. To make a spectacle out of it. But because we need answers and we need justice for the victims. So this deposition today sets a very important precedent, which is that presidents and former presidents will be asked to come before this committee. And I think Donald Trump needs to come before the Oversight Committee, given that he is mentioned in the Epstein files more than almost anybody else, with very serious allegations against him as well."
02.27.26 Pre-Deposition Gaggle
Rep. Ansari: "Further, we need to investigate the ongoing White House cover-up. We know that the Department of Justice has been withholding files, they have been making illegal redactions-the FBI and Kash Patel have been lying under oath. All of these people need to be deposed before this committee. We need to take this investigation seriously. There are more than a thousand people who were harmed by Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and many other rich and powerful people. Children whose lives were literally altered forever at the hands of this abuse. This is very serious. And I think the fact that some of the Republicans on the Oversight Committee feel that it is appropriate to make statements to say that President Trump is somehow exonerated. Congresswoman Ana Paulina Luna said this last night. That is the most outrageous thing that I have ever heard. Donald Trump needs to come before this committee, and we will not stop fighting until we get the truth and there is accountability and justice for the survivors.
02.27.26 Mid-Deposition Gaggle
Rep. Ansari: "I think today was a historic day for transparency in the United States of America. The fact that we have the former president of the United States, Bill Clinton, under oath, speaking to the Oversight Committee and answering questions in a transparent manner is critical. I look forward to the Republican majority listening to our demands of having the transcripts and the videos unedited of both depositions-today's and yesterday's-released immediately, because the American public deserves to hear and see these answers for themselves. And ultimately, this demonstrates that nobody is above the law."
CNN: The Lead with Jake Tapper
Rep. Ansari: "I think Donald Trump needs to come before the committee as soon as possible. He is named in the Epstein files more than almost anybody else. And there's actual credible allegations of criminal wrongdoing, including the recent explosive investigative reporting by The New York Times and NPR that found that the DOJ seems to be withholding documentation in regard to FBI investigations of an individual who said that she was abused by Donald Trump when she was a minor."
IN PRINT
POLITICO: Democrats demand fast turnaround of unedited transcript of Hillary Clinton's deposition
[Maya Kaufman and Gelila Negesse, 02/26/26]
"We are sitting through an incredibly unserious clown show of a deposition where members of Congress and the Republican Party are more concerned about getting their photo opp of Secretary Clinton than actually getting to the truth and holding anyone accountable," Ansari told reporters.
ABC: House Democrats continue to call on Trump to testify in Epstein probe
[Staff, 02/27/26]
"Donald Trump must be deposed immediately in front of this committee," Rep. Yassamin Ansari said amid former President Bill Clinton's deposition on Friday.
The Hill: Democrats fume after Boebert leaks deposition photo of Hillary Clinton: 'Clown show'
[Emily Brooks, 02/26/26]
"We are sitting through an incredibly unserious clown show of a deposition where members of Congress and the Republican Party are more concerned about getting their photo op of Secretary Clinton than actually getting to the truth and holding anyone accountable," Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) said.
COURTHOUSE NEWS SERVICE: Democrats, Republicans locked in spin war over Bill Clinton deposition on Epstein
[Benjamin S. Weiss, 02/27/26]
"It is deeply concerning that we are seeing a very coordinated machine from the president of the United States continuously repeating that he has been exonerated," said Arizona Representative Yassamin Ansari. "Donald Trump must be deposed immediately in front of this committee, as well as many senior-level officials from this administration."
Follow @RepYassAnsari on all social media platforms and visit Ansari.House.gov to learn more.
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