Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spent more than six hours Thursday in a closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee as part of the panel’s investigation into financier Jeffrey Epstein. The Republican-led committee subpoenaed Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton; Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify on Friday.
Outside the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center in New York after the session, Clinton said she wished the proceedings had been public and that she and her attorneys have requested that transcripts and video be released as soon as possible. “It was disappointing that they refused to hold a public hearing so I wouldn’t have to be out here characterizing it for you,” she told reporters. “You could have seen it for yourself. We had asked for that. We think it would have been better for the committee and its efforts to gather whatever information they are seeking.”
Clinton characterized much of the questioning as repetitive and said she would not appear before the committee again, even if the deposition were public. She repeatedly denied knowing Epstein, saying, “I did not know Jeffrey Epstein. I never went to his island, I never went to his home, I never went to his offices.” The former president acknowledged a past friendship between Bill Clinton and Epstein; photographs of Epstein appear in Epstein’s files, but Bill Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing.
Clinton said lawmakers at times asked off-topic questions, citing inquiries about UFOs and the debunked “pizzagate” conspiracy that falsely alleged high-profile Democrats were involved in a child sex-trafficking ring. She expressed confidence that Bill Clinton knew nothing of Epstein’s criminal conduct and said their association with Epstein ended “several years before anything about Epstein’s criminal history came to light.” Clinton also noted Epstein received a lenient plea deal in 2008 after being charged and convicted in Florida of soliciting sex from underage girls.
Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said he hoped the deposition video would be made public within 24 hours and that the transcript would be released after Clinton’s attorneys review it, per standard deposition rules. The session was briefly paused after a conservative influencer posted a photo from inside the room on X, but questioning resumed with lawmakers from both parties participating.
Afterward, Comer and other Republicans described the deposition as productive, saying Clinton answered most questions but that it was unfortunate the Clintons took months to agree to testify. Comer said there were multiple instances where Clinton replied, “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask my husband,” and indicated he plans to press Bill Clinton on those points in Friday’s deposition. “We have a lot of questions for her husband tomorrow, and I’m confident that deposition will last even longer than this one,” Comer said.
Yuki Iwamura/AP – Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks outside the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center after testifying before House lawmakers.