Former President Bill Clinton told congressional investigators he had ‘no idea’ about Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and maintained that he ‘saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong’ during a closed‑door deposition in Chappaqua, New York. The session, the first time a former president has been compelled to testify to Congress, lasted several hours and was led by Republican committee chair James Comer.
Comer said Clinton would be questioned about photos, emails and travel tied to Epstein. Clinton repeated that, even with ’20/20 hindsight,’ he saw nothing that would have given him pause and denied any knowledge of trafficking or other crimes by Epstein.
The deposition followed testimony the day before from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who told the panel she did not recall meeting Epstein and had no awareness of his crimes. Records and reporting have documented Bill Clinton’s connections to Epstein and to Ghislaine Maxwell: Epstein visited the White House several times while Clinton was president, and Clinton flew on Epstein’s private plane multiple times in the early 2000s after leaving office.
Clinton said he would not have used Epstein’s plane if he had known about the allegations involving underage girls, and argued that Epstein ‘hid it from everyone so well for so long.’ He also said he had largely stopped associating with Epstein by the time Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor and was jailed. He died by suicide in 2019 while facing federal sex‑trafficking charges. DOJ documents released in recent years include photos of Clinton with women whose faces were redacted—one showing him with his arm around a woman on a plane, another showing him in a pool with Maxwell, and a third image with the face obscured.
Clinton was expected to face questions about any connections between Epstein and the Clinton Foundation or the Clinton Global Initiative. The Clintons have not been accused of wrongdoing in the Epstein investigations.
Some Democrats argued the panel should also question former President Donald Trump under oath, saying Clinton’s sworn testimony sets a precedent. Representative James Walkinshaw said Clinton’s presence before the committee ‘highlights the Donald Trump‑sized gaping hole in Chairman Comer’s investigation.’ Trump appears in Epstein files multiple times and has said he cut ties with Epstein before the 2008 conviction; Comer has said he will not call Trump to testify.