Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s team demanded she receive “beauty lighting” for her House Oversight Committee deposition and ordered a blue-paneled backdrop from a specialized shop so that it didn’t appear as though she was in a “hostage situation,” a source familiar with the situation told The Post.
Clinton’s team had meticulously labored over nearly every visual detail of her begrudged sworn testimony about late sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, keen on ensuring that she looked as flattering as possible.
To that end, her team had a staffer sit in her spot before the deposition and bark out commands for tedious adjustments on the set at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center in New York, the source said.
They had requested the “beauty lighting” from the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, which controlled the lights and repeatedly pushed to have the camera shifted to the left on several occasions in order to get the most flattering angle of Clinton’s face.
At one point, they brought in white tablecloths with the intent of reflecting overhead stage lighting to minimize shadows on her face and lessen the harsh contrast from that lighting.
The customized blue-paneled backdrop was developed by a local specialized vendor within about seven hours after Clinton’s team concluded it did not like the vibe of the original black curtains in the background.
Many of the requested modifications for Clinton’s Feb. 26 deposition benefited her husband during his sworn testimony the following day.
A Clinton spokesperson insisted that Hillary Clinton ran circles around GOP questioners in the deposition.
“First, I can assure you Hillary didn’t care what color the tablecloths were,” a Hillary rep told The Post.
“Second, yesterday the internet overwhelmingly agreed that the Republicans had their asses handed to them, so I guess as the old lawyer’s adage goes, if you can’t argue the facts, pound the table and make s–t up about tablecloths.
“Finally, whatever 25 year old House staffers leaked this to you, maybe they should spend more time focusing on their investigation into Epstein’s crimes instead of playing production assistant.”
Both of the Clintons battled to avoid testifying before the powerful Oversight panel for its probe into Epstein, with Hillary venting that she hadn’t even met him.
Back in January, the former first couple rejected the Oversight Committee’s August subpoena to appear before the panel for a deposition. But after the panel moved to hold them in contempt — with Democratic support — they caved.
The Clinton team chafed at the GOP-led Oversight Committee’s insistence that the deposition be conducted behind closed doors, wanting a public hearing instead.
On the day of her deposition, Hillary nearly cut it short and dared the panel to hold her in contempt after firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Col.) snapped a photo of her that she fed to a conservative influencer in violation of the rules.
“I am done with this if you guys are doing this, I’m done,” Hillary fumed after one of her attorneys complained about the photo.
“You can hold me in contempt from now until the cows come home,” she raged, slamming the table at one point in annoyance. “This is just typical behavior.”
Ultimately, she returned to finish off the questions.
The Oversight Committee released the deposition videos of both of the Clintons on Monday, showing Hillary, in bright blue attire, getting into fiery clashes with MAGA firebrands like Boebert and Rep. Nancy Mace.
The Clintons have goaded the panel into trying to speak with President Trump, who claims to have had a falling out with Epstein decades ago.
