In a closed-door deposition in Chappaqua, New York, former President Bill Clinton told members of Congress that he “did nothing wrong” in his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and said he saw no signs of Epstein’s sexual abuse. The testimony came as lawmakers sought answers about connections to the disgraced financier from more than two decades ago, including questions focused on what people involved knew after Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea in Florida.
Clinton delivered the opening statement to lawmakers and shared it in advance through social media, saying, “I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong.” A deposition that lasted more than six hours ended after lawmakers, including Republicans, said Clinton answered questions posed during the session, which was held in the Clintons’ hometown.
The deposition marked the first time a former U.S. president has been compelled to testify to Congress, a point Democrats emphasized as a matter of congressional oversight precedent. It also followed a day after Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and Bill Clinton’s wife, sat with lawmakers for her own deposition.
Republicans said the committee’s focus included follow-up on relationships with Epstein after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges in Florida for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. “We have questions about anyone who spent time with Epstein post-conviction,” Rep. James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, said. Comer also asked, “Once you knew Jeffrey Epstein was a sex offender, why did you continue a relationship?”
According to the reporting, Clinton said during his opening statement that he had long stopped associating with Epstein by the time of the 2008 guilty plea. He also told lawmakers it would be difficult to recall the specifics of events from more than 20 years ago, while expressing certainty that he had not witnessed signs of Epstein’s abuse.
After the deposition, Republican Rep. John McGuire accused Clinton of having “selective memory” during questioning, but other GOP members who left the session acknowledged that Clinton handled it with skill and candor. Rep. Nick Langworthy said, “Clinton was quite candid, perhaps more candid than his attorneys were comfortable,” and Comer called Clinton “charming” during the questioning.
The congressional attention also comes amid renewed scrutiny of ties to Epstein following his 2019 suicide in a New York jail cell while facing sex trafficking charges. The House committee’s efforts intensified after photos of Clinton surfaced in the Department of Justice’s first release of case files on Epstein and Maxwell, including images showing Clinton seated near a woman and Clinton together with Maxwell in a pool, with faces of people other than the former president redacted.
Democrats and Republicans also disputed whether Clinton’s deposition should be treated as a broader signal for other political figures. Democrats argued that the precedent should extend to President Donald Trump, who had his own relationship with Epstein, while Comer pushed back by saying Trump has answered questions from the press and that Republicans had not come across evidence that Trump did anything wrong in his relationship with Epstein. “I think that President Trump needs to man up, get in front of this committee and answer the questions and stop calling this investigation a hoax,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee.
The reporting also said Trump expressed remorse at the decision to depose Clinton. As he left the White House for Corpus Christi, Texas, Trump told reporters, “I like Bill Clinton, and I don’t like seeing him deposed.” The committee said it was working quickly to publish a transcript and video recording of both depositions.
Beyond the Clinton testimony, Democrats called for the resignation of Howard Lutnick, a Commerce Department official who they said had additional engagements with Epstein after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. Republicans noted that Lutnick has said he severed ties with Epstein following a 2005 tour of Epstein’s home that disturbed him and his wife, but Democrats pointed to a public release of case files showing Lutnick had later engagements, including a 2011 event at Epstein’s home and a 2012 lunch with Epstein on his private island. “He should be removed from office and, at a minimum, should come before the committee,” Garcia said. Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna said, “I believe we will have the votes to subpoena him.”