Former President Bill Clinton told House investigators he saw no signs of sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and said he ‘did nothing wrong’ during a closed-door deposition in Chappaqua, New York. The session lasted more than six hours, and lawmakers said he answered all questions posed to him. The hearing marked the first time a former president has been compelled to testify to Congress.
The deposition came a day after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with the committee. Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing; Republicans on the House Oversight committee did not levy immediate accusations after leaving the deposition, saying they would review his testimony and continue investigations into other people who maintained ties to Epstein.
Committee Republicans have framed the probe around accountability for those who kept associations with Epstein after his 2008 Florida conviction for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. Republican chair Rep. James Comer said his panel has questions about anyone who spent time with Epstein after the conviction and urged explanations for continuing relationships once Epstein was known to be a sex offender.
Clinton told investigators he had largely stopped associating with Epstein by the time of the 2008 guilty plea and that remembering details from two decades ago is difficult, but he was clear he had not observed signs of abuse. During questioning, Republican Rep. John McGuire pressed him on apparent memory lapses, calling them selective memory, while other GOP members complimented his demeanor. Comer described Clinton as charming; Rep. Nick Langworthy said Clinton was candid, perhaps more so than his attorneys would have liked.
Republicans have sought this testimony for years amid conspiracy-minded scrutiny that peaked after Epstein died in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while facing federal sex-trafficking charges. Documents previously released by the Justice Department include photos of Clinton on Epstein’s plane with his arm around a woman whose face was redacted, and an image of Clinton in a pool with Ghislaine Maxwell with another redacted person. Records show Epstein visited the White House during Clinton’s presidency, and the two took several international trips related to humanitarian work. Comer said the committee has evidence of 17 Epstein visits to the White House and 27 flights by Clinton on Epstein’s airplane.
Democrats on the committee also pressed Clinton. In his opening remarks he said he had stopped associating with Epstein by 2008 and objected to the committee summoning his wife, calling her inclusion inappropriate. Comer said the committee plans to publish transcripts and video of both depositions quickly.
Some Democrats said the committee should seek similar testimony from President Donald Trump, who also had ties to Epstein. Rep. Robert Garcia urged Trump to appear; Comer countered that Trump has answered questions publicly and that investigators have seen no evidence he did anything wrong. Trump commented that he felt sorry to see Clinton deposed.
Separately, Democrats raised concerns about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a longtime neighbor of Epstein who said he cut ties after a 2005 tour of Epstein’s home. Case files show Lutnick later attended a 2011 event at Epstein’s house and had a 2012 lunch on Epstein’s private island with his family. Democrats called for scrutiny of Lutnick, suggested there could be votes to subpoena him, and demanded answers about his contacts. During her deposition, Republicans also questioned Hillary Clinton about Lutnick.