House Oversight Republicans have made public video recordings of depositions with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that were taken as part of the committee’s review of Jeffrey Epstein-related records.
Both Clintons were interviewed separately last week in closed-door sessions after resisting subpoenas from the Republican-led panel. Each agreed to give hours of testimony only after being threatened with contempt of Congress; they had requested to testify publicly.
In their sworn statements, both Bill and Hillary Clinton denied having prior knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct before his 2008 guilty plea in Florida on state charges involving solicitation of a minor. In an opening statement provided before his deposition in Chappaqua, N.Y., Bill Clinton said he saw no wrongdoing and did nothing wrong.
The committee’s released file set shows Bill Clinton’s name and images in several places. He told lawmakers he first met Epstein in 2001 or 2002, after leaving the White House, and that former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers made the introduction. Clinton characterized the relationship as cordial but not a close friendship and said he severed ties before Epstein’s 2008 conviction.
Clinton acknowledged traveling on Epstein’s private plane but said the trips were connected to humanitarian work through the Clinton Foundation. He described an arrangement in which Epstein would let him use the aircraft to support an AIDS initiative if Clinton agreed to discuss economic and political topics with him, and said they never discussed classified or sensitive government matters. Clinton also told the committee he never observed Epstein abusing young women or girls and did not discuss sexual activity with him.
Regarding a photograph in the files that shows him in a hot tub beside an unidentified person, Clinton said the image was taken during a foundation-related trip to Brunei, that he did not know the other person, and that there was no sexual activity.
In her deposition, Hillary Clinton said she never met Epstein. Afterward she told reporters she had fully answered the committee’s questions and reiterated that she had no prior relationship with the convicted sex offender. She acknowledged knowing Epstein’s one-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell only as a casual acquaintance, said Epstein “wasn’t on my radar,” and did not recall any conversations with him.
Both Clintons had contested the subpoenas for several weeks. Bill Clinton said he agreed to testify because he believes the rule of law applies to everyone. Democrats on the committee pointed to that rationale and argued it creates a precedent that should apply to former President Donald Trump, who also appears in the Epstein records and denies knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. Democrats have also raised concerns about missing Epstein-related records connected to Trump, as previously reported by NPR.
Sam Gringlas contributed to this report.