Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have released video of depositions with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conducted as part of the panel’s investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The Clintons were deposed separately last week behind closed doors after unsuccessfully fighting the committee’s subpoenas. Both agreed to sit for hours of testimony only after being threatened with contempt of Congress; they had sought to testify in public.
Over hours of testimony, each denied prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes before his 2008 guilty plea in Florida on state charges of soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. “I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong,” Bill Clinton said in an opening statement shared ahead of his deposition in the Clintons’ hometown of Chappaqua, N.Y.
Neither has been accused of wrongdoing, though Bill Clinton appears several times in the trove of Epstein records made public by the committee, including in photographs. He told lawmakers he first met Epstein around 2001 or 2002 after leaving the White House, saying he was introduced by former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. Clinton described their relationship as “cordial” but not friendship and said he cut ties with Epstein before the 2008 conviction.
Clinton acknowledged traveling on Epstein’s plane, saying the trips were part of humanitarian work for the Clinton Foundation. He told the committee he believed there was an understanding that he could use the plane to support his AIDS work in exchange for talking with Epstein about economics and politics, and that their conversations did not involve sensitive government matters. Clinton said he never saw Epstein trafficking women or witnessed abuse of young women or girls.
Asked about a photo showing him in a hot tub next to an unidentified person, Clinton said the image was taken on a Clinton Foundation trip to Brunei, that he did not know the other individual and did not engage in sexual activity with them.
Hillary Clinton, in her deposition, denied ever meeting Epstein. Speaking to reporters afterward, she said she had “no prior relationship” with him and had never communicated with him. She acknowledged knowing Ghislaine Maxwell as a casual acquaintance but said Epstein “wasn’t on my radar” and she did not recall speaking with him.
Republicans say the videos are part of their probe into Epstein-related records. Democrats on the committee argue the Clintons’ willingness to appear under subpoena underscores the principle that no one is above the law and contend it sets a precedent that should lead President Biden-era Republicans to seek similar accountability from President Trump. Trump also appears in the Epstein files and has denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes; Democrats have raised questions about missing Epstein-related files connected to Trump that are not in the public record, as NPR has reported.
Sam Gringlas contributed to this report.