WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton told members of Congress that he “did nothing wrong” in his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and saw no signs of Epstein’s sexual abuse, saying in an opening statement, “I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong.” The closed-door deposition in Chappaqua, New York, lasted more than six hours; lawmakers said he answered every question.
The deposition, the first time a former president has been compelled to testify to Congress, came a day after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with the committee. Bill Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing, and Republican members of the House Oversight Committee did not immediately level accusations as they left Chappaqua, saying they would review the testimony and focus on other individuals.
Lawmakers are wrestling with accountability for people who maintained ties to Epstein after his 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. “We have questions about anyone who spent time with Epstein post-conviction,” said Rep. James Comer, the Republican chair of the committee. “Once you knew Jeffrey Epstein was a sex offender, why did you continue a relationship?”
Clinton said he had long stopped associating with Epstein by the time of the 2008 guilty plea and that recalling details from more than two decades ago is difficult, but he was certain he had not witnessed signs of abuse. During questioning, Republican Rep. John McGuire accused Clinton of “selective memory,” while other GOP members praised his candor; Comer called him “charming,” and Rep. Nick Langworthy said Clinton had been “quite candid, perhaps more candid than his attorneys were comfortable.”
Republicans have pressed to question Clinton for years amid conspiracy theories that intensified after Epstein’s 2019 death in a New York jail while facing federal sex-trafficking charges. Photos released in the Justice Department’s initial Epstein file showed Clinton on Epstein’s plane with his arm around a woman whose face was redacted and another image of Clinton with Ghislaine Maxwell in a pool with a redacted person. Epstein visited the White House during Clinton’s presidency, and the two made several international trips for humanitarian work. Comer said the committee has evidence Epstein visited the White House 17 times and that Clinton flew on Epstein’s airplane 27 times.
Democrats on the committee also pressed Clinton. “We are only here because he hid it from everyone so well for so long,” Clinton said in his opening remarks, adding he had stopped associating with Epstein by 2008. He objected to Comer summoning his wife, saying, “including her was simply not right.” Comer said the committee plans to quickly publish transcripts and video of both depositions.
Some Democrats argue the precedent should extend to President Donald Trump, who also had ties to Epstein. Rep. Robert Garcia urged Trump to appear before the committee; Comer pushed back, saying Trump has answered questions from the press and that investigators have found no evidence Trump did anything wrong. Trump said he felt sorry to see Clinton deposed.
Separately, Democrats urged scrutiny of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a longtime neighbor of Epstein who said he severed ties after a 2005 tour of Epstein’s home. Case-file releases showed Lutnick later attended a 2011 event at Epstein’s home and had lunch on Epstein’s private island with his family in 2012. Democrats called for Lutnick’s resignation and said he should testify; Rep. Ro Khanna suggested there would be votes to subpoena him. Republican Rep. Nancy Mace questioned Hillary Clinton about Lutnick during her deposition.
