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Texas Congressman Under Fire; Iran Nuclear Talks; Hillary Clinton Testifies. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired February 26, 2026 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Setting the stage. Hillary Clinton testifying before lawmakers about what she knows and doesn't know about Jeffrey Epstein, but she's also asking her own questions, like, why isn't this committee trying to talk to President Donald Trump?

Plus: A last-ditch attempt at diplomacy? President Trump's deadline hanging over crucial talks with Iran today. Where things stand right now.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: And pressure growing, Congressman Tony Gonzales facing new calls for his resignation over an alleged affair. The husband of his late staffer calls him a predator, and you'll hear from him this hour.

We are following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: We do begin with breaking news.

Right now, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's deposition in the House Oversight Committee's investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has actually been paused. We're learning that it's because a photo from the closed-door testimony was just posted online, and we'll have more on that in a moment.

First, though, let's walk through what has been happening. Clinton has been facing questions for just under two hours so far today. Former President Bill Clinton is going to testify tomorrow. And a source tells CNN both depositions will be videotaped, and that Republican staff are aiming to release the footage just days after the interviews are done.

But we're already learning some of what Secretary Clinton will tell the panel. According to her opening statements that she posted online, Clinton accused the House Oversight Committee of compelling her to testify in order to -- quote -- "distract attention from President Trump's actions."

She then added, if the committee was serious, it would -- quote -- "ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files."

And we should note that President Trump has long denied all wrongdoing related to Epstein or any allegation of sexual misconduct.

Earlier, the top lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee said this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): We're not accusing Hillary Clinton of wrongdoing. We know that Jeffrey Epstein said many times in e-mails that he was the first person to raise money for the Clinton Initiative.

REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): She has been very clear she's never met Jeffrey Epstein. We have no evidence of her having any interactions with Mr. Epstein. And so I think that's important to note as we walk into this deposition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: According to a CNN review of the Epstein files, Bill Clinton has traveled on Jeffrey Epstein's private plane at least 16 times, and he was also pictured with women in a Jacuzzi.

Bill Clinton has repeatedly denied wrongdoing related to the late sex offender and law enforcement has never raised any allegations against him.

CNN's M.J. Lee is just outside of the building where the deposition is taking place.

And explain, M.J., what is happening with this pause.

M.J. LEE, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL ENTERPRISE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna, just to set the scene for you here in Chappaqua, New York, I mean, it is a bit of a zoo here this afternoon, a lot of reporters and cameras, Secret Service presence and police as well for this deposition that the former Secretary of State is sitting for.

And you're right that there has been a short pause. It seems like a bit of a hiccup in the middle of this deposition. We were about, I would say, an hour in to the actual questioning when a spokesperson for the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton came out and said the deposition has been paused because of the posting of a photo from inside the deposition room online, which violates the rules.

So we are waiting for confirmation that the questioning has started back up again. And just before that, we know, as you mentioned, Hillary Clinton had given her opening remarks, where she again reiterated basically that lawmakers are not going to get a lot out of her.

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This is a part of what she says. She said: "I had no idea about their criminal activity." She's talking about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell here. "I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that."

She also just went on to say that, if the committee truly is interested in the truth and transparency, one person who should sit for a deposition is the current president, President Donald Trump.

Now, I have been getting some insights into the kinds of questions that Hillary Clinton has been getting asked, again, in that first hour or so of the deposition. She was asked, for example, whether she had ever spoken to Darren Indyke or Richard Kahn.

These are, of course, the two co-executors of Jeffrey Epstein's estate. She answered: "No, I have not."

When she was asked about other people that she may have spoken with about Epstein, she also said no. And then at one point I'm told she even said to the lawmakers in the room: "I have not even heard of some of these people that you are asking me about."

Now, as for the rest of the day, Brianna, I mean, we heard directly from Chairman Comer that we should really be buckling up for a long day ahead of us. What we are going to see is an hour of questioning from the Republicans. Then it gets sent back to the Democrats, and they're just going to pass the ball back and forth in exactly that manner until the lawmakers run out of questions to ask.

Now, again, this all comes ahead of former President Bill Clinton's deposition tomorrow. If Hillary Clinton is saying that she doesn't even remember ever meeting Jeffrey Epstein, the former president, of course, can't say the same.

So that scene tomorrow is expected to be quite different as well, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, very different situation.

M.J. Lee, thank you very much -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: We're joined now by Arick Fudali. He's an attorney representing 11 Epstein accusers.

Arick, thanks so much for taking the time.

ARICK FUDALI, ATTORNEY FOR EPSTEIN ACCUSERS: Thanks for having me.

SCIUTTO: So, first, you heard the congressman note there that Hillary Clinton is not accused of a crime. She said she'd never met Jeffrey Epstein.

Do you believe she could provide useful testimony to the committee?

FUDALI: She might have some useful testimony, perhaps, when they're investigating money and where money may have gone and where money may have went, referring to Jeffrey Epstein's money. I think that's about it, though. For me, this seems like a little bit

more of a distraction from what the documents actually reveal, and, more importantly, what the documents don't reveal and what is still being withheld, what is still being redacted, but is still not being shared with the public by this administration, by the Department of Justice.

So, certainly, I think every single person who had any type of close association with Jeffrey Epstein should be investigated, should be questioned. Hillary Clinton seems to be sort of on the weaker end of those -- that association with Jeffrey Epstein. So there may be some information here, certainly not a day's worth.

Again, it's fine. Get this deposition over with, but I really think this is more of a distraction and sort of some political theater, as opposed to real investigation here.

SCIUTTO: Now, Bill Clinton, of course, different. As M.J. was noting there, he flew on Epstein's private plane 16 times, though we should note he's never been accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing related to Epstein.

What questions would you have for Bill Clinton tomorrow if you were in the room?

FUDALI: It's a fair question. Certainly, Bill Clinton is someone who we do know, according to the evidence, according to what's released, did have a relationship, an association, perhaps both social and business, with Jeffrey Epstein.

So I would get down to the nature of what he knew, what he didn't know, what he was doing on the plane, what he was doing if he was ever at the island, what he knew about the women who Jeffrey Epstein was surrounding him. When did he in fact break up all ties with Jeffrey Epstein? Was it before after the sweetheart deal?

Was it before after the FBI was notified about potential wrongdoing by Jeffrey Epstein in the '90s? There are a lot of questions to ask former President Clinton about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, about what he knew Jeffrey Epstein was doing in relation to the women he was constantly surrounded with, also his sort of business ties.

So I would really want to get down to the bottom of what he knew, when he knew it, but also who else he saw around Jeffrey Epstein. Now, if he was on the plane 16 times allegedly, certainly, he may have seen other people with Jeffrey Epstein. He may have known of other associates who were even closer, were perhaps partaking in more illicit affairs with Jeffrey Epstein.

So, those are the type of questions I'd want to ask from Bill Clinton.

SCIUTTO: As you know, a CNN review has found that dozens of FBI witness interviews from the investigation of Epstein appear to be missing from the files.

I spoke to Democratic Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, who brought one of the Epstein victims -- or the brother of one of the Epstein victims to the State of the Union, if the DOJ was following the law on these releases. Have a listen to his answer, and I want to get your thoughts on the other side.

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REP. SUHAS SUBRAMANYAM (D-VA): The DOJ has been violating the law repeatedly. They're also violating a subpoena that we put forward on the Oversight Committee from back in August.

And, remember, this is the DOJ that said last March they were going to release all of the files, but there's 2.5 million files that haven't been released. And the president is clearly in some of the files. Even the victims said that they were looking for files and didn't find some that would involve him. And so what we're getting to now is a cover-up that is clearly in violation of the law.

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SCIUTTO: Do you agree that the DOJ has not followed the law as written in terms of releasing these documents, with only exceptions for redactions to protect the identity of victims?

FUDALI: Absolutely.

And I'm glad you asked that, because one of the big issues I'm having with this Clinton investigation or these Clinton depositions, it's really a distraction from what's really going on here, which is that the Department of Justice, despite there being a law that they must release all documents with no redactions other than the victims' identities, is not doing that.

The documents are still redacted. There are still purportedly a lot of documents missing. And that's just not acceptable. It's against the law. And I think where the media or any of us are talking about anything else as relates to Epstein, that means that the Department of Justice is winning and doing exactly what they want us to do.

This Hillary Clinton deposition, while there may be information there, is a distraction. The Department of Justice is continually and continuing to cover up this Epstein issue. And they are -- it's a robust cover-up. And we need to keep fighting and keep putting pressure on until every single document is released and we see true justice, true criminal justice, criminal investigations into Jeffrey Epstein's associates and those who enabled, those who facilitated or perhaps those we have been co-abused.

SCIUTTO: So who would you like to see testified then? If Hillary Clinton is a distraction, in your words, who would you like to see stand before this committee?

FUDALI: Well, I think anyone who was mentioned robustly in the documents.That would include current President Trump. I'd also like to see Alex Acosta's testimony. I have heard that he's going to be subpoenaed or has been subpoenaed. I think that's the most important piece of testimony.

I'd also like to see all the documents related to that 2008 sweetheart deal that Alex Acosta gave to Jeffrey Epstein, because that was the inflection point here that -- where Jeffrey Epstein could have been stopped, but was basically permitted by Alex Acosta continue to abuse.

I represent a client who was abused in 2009 by Jeffrey Epstein. Had Alex Acosta done his job and given him the real prosecution Jeffrey Epstein deserved, she would not have been abused. And there's many, many more like her.

So, certainly, I believe that if we're going to depose President Clinton because of his alleged association with Jeffrey Epstein, I think President Trump should be deposed based on his alleged association with Jeffrey Epstein. And I really want to hear from Alex Acosta and see the full packet of documents...

SCIUTTO: Right.

FUDALI: ... related to that 2008 sweet deal, because, for me, that was a travesty of injustice.

SCIUTTO: Well, and to your point, there were a lot of victims after that prosecution. So much could have been avoided.

Arick Fudali, thanks so much for joining.

FUDALI: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: And still to come this hour: Can the U.S. make a nuclear deal with Iran? We have brand-new details out of Geneva where those talks are under way.

The husband of a late staffer to Representative Tony Gonzales says the congressman is -- quote -- "a predator." We're getting reaction from Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill right now.

And, later, the captain of the U.S. women's Olympic hockey team weighs in on President Trump's locker room joke.

Her reaction and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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KEILAR: The U.S. and Iran have resumed nuclear talks with an armada of U.S. forces poised for a possible attack President Trump has threatened if no deal is reached.

Iran's foreign minister says both sides in Geneva are treating discussions with great seriousness. And a source tells CNN that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's foreign minister held direct talks today, which is a break from what has been normal protocol, where a mediator relays messages.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is monitoring developments from the White House.

Kristen, direct talks, is that a sign that a deal could be within reach?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Look, we have been down this path before, and we have not gotten a readout yet.

We know that there were evening sessions going on between the two sides. And just a reminder here, there were months of these multiple rounds of talks between Witkoff and his counterpart that totally fell apart in June.

So it's just unclear, until they're actually done with these meetings, where exactly they're going to land. But this is really largely viewed as the last chance for diplomacy. President Trump has continued to threaten these strikes if nothing is reached. But, remember, they were going into this pretty far apart.

So we are still waiting for them to come out, for Witkoff-Kushner to brief the other side, to brief the White House here, so that we have a better understanding about where this goes from here.

KEILAR: And eight months ago, Kristen, President Trump said U.S. strikes had totally obliterated -- that was the wording that he used -- Iran's nuclear program. Has the White House articulated why strikes could be necessary now?

HOLMES: Well, I mean, Brianna, also, we just heard from Steve Witkoff, who said during a FOX News program in an interview, and he said specifically that he believes Iran is about a week away from having industrial-grade bombing material, which obviously sounds very different from what we heard eight months ago, when they had said everything had been completely obliterated.

Now, of course, even if they had the materials, it would take time to actually develop a bomb. Our reporting suggests from intel reports that they actually believe that Iran is three years away from nuclear capabilities.

But one of the things to keep in mind here is President Trump kind of laid out the case for why we would be striking Iran during his State of the Union. If you ask the White House, that was detailed. But when you go back and look at it, which I did right before I came out here, it doesn't really explain why now, why now in particular.

The timing on this seems to be just something that escalated within the United States. We have put all of these forces there, but no real indication of, one, should the American people be preparing for war, and, two, if so, why? And why at this time? Why are we getting involved in this kind of foreign policy or foreign strikes, when President Trump had promised no more forever wars?

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KEILAR: Kristen Holmes, thank you so much for that report from the White House. And a defiant Congressman Tony Gonzales refusing to resign as more

Republicans call on him to step down. We have a live reaction from the Hill next.

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SCIUTTO: Less than one week before his Republican primary election, Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales is facing mounting calls to resign in the midst of accusations that he is -- quote -- "a predator."

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That comes from the husband of the congressman's late staffer Regina Ann Santos-Aviles. Adrian Aviles says his wife was having an affair with Gonzales before she died by suicide by setting herself on fire in September last year, just awful circumstances.

Gonzales denies the affair and is refusing to step down, claiming that he is the victim of blackmail. But CNN has confirmed racy text messages he sent to Santos, including one seeking a -- quote -- "sexy pick" from her. Her husband said he's speaking publicly to show their young son that the family stands up to people like Gonzales, who he calls a coward.

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ADRIAN AVILES, HUSBAND OF REGINA ANN SANTOS-AVILES: You know, the guy's a predator. He's continuing to lie to the American people. He's bold-face lied about it, about everything. And to say that the facts are going to come out, I would bet that he does not want me to release all of the messages that show how gross of a man he is.

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SCIUTTO: CNN's Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill now.

And, Manu, are we beginning to see members of his own party, maybe a critical mass here, pushing for him to resign?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I would not say a critical mass, Jim.

I would say that there are members of his own party who are pushing to resign. Many of them have stayed quiet. Some of them are simply waiting for Tuesday. That's going to be a big day for Tony Gonzales's future. Of course, that's when he's facing a primary challenge back home against a conservative candidate who he barely won in the last cycle, when -- before all these allegations came out.

That challenger, Brandon Herrera, has the support of the far right faction within the House GOP. And the question will be that, if Gonzales indeed loses that primary on Tuesday, what will he do in the rest of his time serving here in the United States House?

Will he serve out until January, when his term would expire? Because that could significantly impact the already razor-thin House Republican majority that's Mike Johnson is hanging onto at this moment. He can only afford to lose one Republican vote on any party- line vote, which is a reason why some Republicans say Gonzales should absolutely not resign in order to tighten that already very, very tight Republican majority.

One of those Republicans is congressman Troy Nehls of Texas, who told me yesterday that indeed that Gonzales should reject all calls for him to step aside.

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RAJU: So, Mr. Nehls, if he loses, Gonzales, on Tuesday, should he resign his seat, given how serious these accusations are?

REP. TROY NEHLS (R-TX): Absolutely not. No. Why would we do that? If he does that...

RAJU: Because these accusations are really bad.

(CROSSTALK)

NEHLS: Well, accusations aren't enough. If he does that, then you have got to give the gavel to Hakeem Jeffries. Now, I'm sure the Democrats would love that, would love that, but, no, I wouldn't do that for any reason.

RAJU: But aren't some things bigger than politics?

NEHLS: What the heck? No. No.

RAJU: No?

NEHLS: Not up here. I don't like the optics. It's quite clear. America knows about it. Tony's going to have to deal with it. And the voters in that congressional district will determine whether he should come back here or not, period.

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RAJU: And the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, himself has not yet called on Gonzales to resign.

We had expected them to speak this week. And Johnson had been calling for Gonzales to address these allegations publicly. But Gonzales has yet to do that. And the only time that we spotted him here in the Capitol this week was he did try to meet with Johnson. He came out and I asked him if these allegations were true.

And he simply would not say one way or the other, just simply said all the facts will eventually come out -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: That's quite a statement there to say, in so many words, right, nothing bigger than politics, even in the midst of these accusations.

Manu Raju, thanks so much.

RAJU: Yes.

SCIUTTO: Well, coming up, we are following the breaking news in Chappaqua, New York, where Hillary Clinton is testifying right now in the House Epstein investigation.

What we just learned about why her testimony was briefly paused.

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