Democrats erupt as Lauren Boebert photo leak to Benny Johnson stalls Hillary Clinton deposition

WASHINGTON, DC: What was supposed to be a methodical grilling of Hillary Clinton veered into chaos on Thursday, February 26, not just from one side of the aisle.

Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee blasted Republicans after Rep Lauren Boebert (R-CO) leaked a photo from inside Clinton’s closed-door deposition. The former secretary of state testified as part of the panel’s probe into convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The hearing came to a screeching halt after conservative influencer Benny Johnson posted a photo of Clinton seated during the deposition, saying it came from Boebert.

A Clinton adviser told reporters the session was paused because the photo violated rules that had been read at the start of the deposition. According to Democrats, those rules were meant to keep the proceedings orderly and controlled.

Ranking member Robert Garcia (D-CA) said Clinton, who testified she did not recall ever meeting Epstein, had been “completely cooperating with the deposition and the committee” and “answering questions in full faith and in good faith.”

“What is not acceptable is Oversight Republicans breaking their own committee rules that they established with the Secretary and her team,” Garcia told reporters during a break. “It was gracious of the Secretary and her team to continue the deposition.”

He added that “everybody was very taken aback by the committee rules being essentially not enforced and certainly just broken immediately.”

‘Clown show’ accusations fly after Hillary Clinton deposition photo leak

The mood only worsened as Democrats accused Republicans of prioritizing optics over substance.

“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,” said Rep Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ).

Rep Wesley Bell (D-MO), a former prosecutor, was equally blunt. “What we’re seeing is political theater. What we’re seeing is folks that are looking for headlines and tweets as opposed to doing the business of going about getting justice for the victims,” he said, adding, “We have not learned one new thing.”

After the leak, Garcia said Clinton’s team renewed its request to allow the press into the room, arguing it was important to her that any eventual release of her testimony not be edited.

Meanwhile, Johnson pushed back on the idea that the photo justified stopping the proceedings. He noted that the Clintons had asked to testify in a public setting and that the full deposition would later be released. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) has said there will be video of the deposition that both sides will have the opportunity to review.

Returning from the break, Boebert brushed off questions about the photo with a jab referencing the FBI’s investigation into Clinton’s private email server, which loomed large over the final stretch of her 2016 presidential campaign.

“I just returned to my hotel room and installed the BleachBit software...So, I guess in regards to taking photos, I do not recall,” Boebert quipped.

MAGA blowback over Lauren Boebert and Benny Johnson's conduct

The blowback didn’t stop with Democrats.

Some conservatives also questioned whether Boebert and Johnson had undercut their own side by disrupting the deposition.

“Way to go. Now they are stopping the proceedings,” one self-identified MAGA account responded to Johnson’s post.

“Not a smart move by Lauren Boebert…," another Trump supporter added.

Johnson defended the post in a follow-up message.

“This is insane,” he wrote. “The deposition is being filmed. Hillary wanted it to be done LIVE on TV. The entire deposition will be released soon. Rep. Boebert gave me permission to post photo with credit. Hillary is trying to get out of answering questions about Epstein because of a pic!?!”

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