House Republicans have unveiled depositions from former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as part of their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The couple provided hours of testimony behind closed doors last week after facing a subpoena from the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee, agreeing to comply after potential contempt of Congress charges were mentioned. The Clintons had sought to testify publicly but were not granted that request.
During the depositions, both Bill and Hillary Clinton denied having any prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes before his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. Bill Clinton emphasized, “I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong” in his opening statement shared ahead of the deposition in their hometown of Chappaqua, New York.
While neither of the Clintons faces any formal accusations, Bill Clinton has been linked through numerous mentions in Epstein’s records, including photographs. He recounted meeting Epstein in the early 2000s through a mutual acquaintance, Larry Summers, the former Treasury Secretary. They described their relationship as cordial, although Clinton refrained from labeling Epstein as a friend. He asserted that he distanced himself from Epstein before the latter’s 2008 conviction and clarified that his previous travels on Epstein’s private plane were related to humanitarian efforts for the Clinton Foundation, rather than any illicit activities.
Clinton stated, “There’s nothing that I saw when I was around him that made me realize he was trafficking women.” He negated any involvement in inappropriate conduct, mentioning a photo that depicted him in a hot tub and confirming it was taken during a Clinton Foundation trip to Brunei, although he had no recollection of the person next to him.
In her testimony, Hillary Clinton claimed she had never met Epstein or had any form of communication with him. After her deposition, she reiterated to reporters that Epstein was not someone she had any connection to, while acknowledging a casual acquaintance with his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Bill Clinton rationalized his decision to testify, stating that “America was built on the idea that no person is above the law, even presidents.” This has prompted Democrats on the committee to argue that his appearance sets a precedent for requiring answers from other individuals linked to Epstein, including former President Donald Trump, who also appears in the released files and similarly claims no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. Democrats have pointed out that there are missing records involving Epstein and Trump that merit further scrutiny.
The release of the deposition videos signifies a significant development in the ongoing investigation into Epstein’s activities and adds a new layer of political discourse surrounding both the Clintons and Trump, highlighting the complex intersections of power, accountability, and allegations of misconduct in high political offices.