Joy Behar Shares Sharp Advice for Clintons Amid Epstein Fallout

The first “Hot Topic” of the day on Friday’s (January 16) edition of The View was once again about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, this time focusing on Bill and Hillary Clinton‘s reaction to a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee.

Earlier this week, the Clintons shared a joint message to Chairman James Comer justifying their refusal to appear in Congress, and Comer responded by saying he would pursue criminal contempt charges against the former president and first lady in the matter.

About that, Joy Behar said, “To be clear, Bill Clinton hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing, and he’s denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. Both the Clintons keep saying they have no information that’s relevant to the investigation, but should they just testify to clear up any suspicions and get the last word in on this?” She then offered a word of advice to the Clintons, saying, “You know, Bill should just say to Trump, ‘I’m more than happy to testify. You first!’”

Sunny Hostin said she agreed with Behar, and added, “The Clintons have done as much as everyone else that has been subpoenaed. There have been about nine people subpoenaed, and out of those nine people, eight people provided sworn affidavits, and those subpoenas were released. Now, of course, the Clintons are the Clintons, and I think that because of their positions as former secretary of state and senator and president of the United States, the Republican Oversight Committee really wants them there…. What Comer is not saying is they provided affidavits, sworn affidavits. So this is the same, or very close to the same, as already having testified. They’ve also written him a four-page letter explaining their position. And so my question is, ‘Where is that same energy for the attorney general of the United States, Pam Bondi, who has not released, I think, 99% of the Epstein files? Why don’t they call her and subpoena her, and have her testify about what’s happening?”

Sara Haines was the next to speak up and said, “As someone who wants to see everything in the Epstein files and wants every single person held accountable, I think the Clintons should show up. It was a unanimous vote to subpoena them, and regardless of these affidavits or anything else, I think when people don’t show up, it makes them look guiltier than they are.” She added, “President Clinton has shown up in tons of pictures with no wrongdoing, but images that have been released in these files that and we’ve known of the friendship for years. And two years after Epstein got his sweetheart deal, Ghislaine Maxwell was invited to Chelsea’s wedding. So there are some associations there that I think, put everything out there. Let it be public, let people hear. Because otherwise you give them the bait to say, ‘Well, you’re not doing it. We’re not doing it. This person’s not doing it.’ No. If you want the Epstein files and you want everyone held accountable, they show up, and they do it.”

Alyssa Farah Griffin also agreed that the Clintons should testify before the House committee, saying, “I just personally don’t believe that Congressional oversight is something that should be optional to people,” citing her own experience appearing on Capitol Hill. “And I would remind folks that Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon both defied congressional subpoenas and then did jail time for defying those congressional subpoenas during the January 6 investigation.” However, she also took issue with Hillary Clinton being roped into the matter, saying, “Her name does not appear once in the Epstein files. She has no known association beyond, I would guess, that Ghislaine Maxwell was at Chelsea’s wedding, but to bring the wife into it like this feels weird.”

Ana Navarro spoke to her own personal history with the Clintons, saying, “I’ve known Bill and Hillary Clinton for over 20 years. They were very good friends of my ex, and they would come down to Miami and stay at his hotel all the time. So it’s very hard for me… It’s not a comfortable place for me to say that I want them to show up, and I want them to testify. But here’s the thing, I want us as a society to hold the people that we like to the same standard that we hold the people that we don’t like.” However, she also had a caveat to that. “The House Oversight Committee, because while they are going vociferously against Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, trying to drag them in there all of a sudden, Donald Trump, who was one of Jeffrey Epstein’s best friends for well over a decade, he gets [off] scot-free. They are trying to haul Hillary Clinton, who has not been implicated in anything. There are no allegations involving her at the same time that they are letting Melania Trump, who also has not been implicated or accused of anything, but there’s pictures of Melania… To start dragging first ladies who have nothing to do with it, then why don’t we start with Melania?”

The View, weekdays, 11a/10c, ABC