Mr. Clinton became the first former president to be forced to testify to Congress as part of an investigation into how Mr. Epstein built his wealth and network of wealthy and powerful friends.
Former President Bill Clinton has denied any wrongdoing in his relationship with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, but House Republicans have grilled him about the late financier’s fundraising efforts, frequent visits to the White House and photos in Justice Department files.
Clinton, the first former president to be forced to testify before Congress, said in her opening statement to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that she had “no knowledge of the crimes that Mr. Epstein was committing.” He dismissed 20-year-old photos from the department’s files and from Epstein’s estate.
“I didn’t see anything and I didn’t do anything wrong,” Clinton said. “Having grown up in a home with domestic violence, if I had any idea what he was doing, I would not have boarded his flight. I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes instead of a sweetheart deal.”
Hillary Clinton’s wife, former Secretary of State, who was also subpoenaed, told the committee on February 26 that she did not know Mr. Epstein and had never flown on his plane. She called her testimony “repetitive” and a “fishing expedition.”
But the committee’s chairman, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), said lawmakers had doubts because Epstein visited the White House 17 times during Bill Clinton’s presidency and 27 times after Clinton left office by private plane. Clinton also appeared in photos published in the Epstein files with celebrities and in a number of edited photos of women’s faces in more casual settings.
Comer said documents from the Justice Department and Epstein’s estate depict the late financier raising money for the Clinton Global Initiative, a foundation that seeks action on issues such as climate and health care. Hillary Clinton told the committee on February 26 to question her husband about the matter, since he was a senator during the period in question.
“This is a historic day for the United States Congress,” Comer said outside the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center in New York, near the Clintons’ home. “No one is accusing anyone of wrongdoing. But I think the American people have a lot of questions.”
The investigation comes after lawmakers and women who have accused Epstein of abuse forced the Justice Department to release 3 million pages of documents related to its criminal investigation. But millions more pages remain sealed, and President Donald Trump says the country should move forward.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of child sex trafficking. His colleague, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for conspiracy to transport minors for unlawful sexual activity. Critics of the investigation have questioned why more co-conspirators have not been indicted.
Here’s what you need to know about the Clintons’ testimony.
Bill defends Hillary
Mr. Clinton said he had nothing to do with Mr. Epstein and criticized the committee that subpoenaed his wife.
“Nothing,” he said. “She has no recollection of even meeting him. She has never traveled with him or visited his property. Whether you subpoenaed 10 people or 10,000 people, including her, it just wasn’t right.”
Clinton said she tries to answer questions to the best of her ability, but often says she doesn’t remember. He said he can’t play detective about what happened 24 years ago and doesn’t want to say anything he’s not sure about.
Mr. Clinton said, “Mr. Speaker, fire now.”
Clinton ‘very cooperative’, could be targeted by economic intelligence agencies: Luna
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) said Mr. Clinton was cooperative and said she believed Mr. Epstein operated a “honeypot operation” in which he obtained economic information by offering sex to business and political leaders.
“President Clinton has been very cooperative,” Luna said.
She said she could not reveal details of Clinton’s answers to questions until the records were released. But he said he appears to be a target of Mr. Epstein, who is seeking financial information.
“I believe that Jeffrey Epstein targeted many politicians and influential people, especially when it came to economic policy,” Luna added. “I believe it’s possible that not only[Bill Clinton]was targeted, but Secretary Clinton and many others were targeted.”
Hillary Clinton said the questions she faced were ‘very repetitive’
Hillary Clinton praised Comer for “raising a series of serious questions” near the end of her testimony about what else the committee should consider. However, most of the questions were repetitive.
“I’m grateful for that. I want to see the truth come out,” Clinton told reporters. “This was a reassuring way to end what had been a very long and repetitive deposition.”
She referred to the event as a “fishing expedition” in her opening statement. She said she had never been on Epstein’s plane or visited his island and could not recall ever encountering him.
One of the questions from lawmakers was why Maxwell attended his daughter Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in 2010.
“She came as a guest, a plus one for the person who was invited,” Clinton did not elaborate.
Congressmen, Clinton’s Mother – For Now
Lawmakers and the Clintons have agreed not to reveal details of their responses until the full transcript and video of the session is released, which could be as early as February 27 for Hillary Clinton’s session.
Lawmakers took private depositions to cover more areas of questioning than are allowed in traditional congressional hearings.
The Clintons had offered to testify at the public hearing so the public could see the questions and answers immediately. Hillary Clinton’s deposition was briefly suspended due to a controversy over the sending of a photo posted on social media by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said Hillary Clinton was “agitated” and screaming during the session. But the committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, criticized her being asked about UFOs and conspiracy theories in addition to Epstein, calling it a “mischaracterization.”
Why are the Clintons under such scrutiny?
The Clintons claim they had no knowledge of Mr. Epstein’s criminal activities and that they knew little about Mr. Epstein.
Bill Clinton’s name appears in flight records from 2002 and 2003 that document his travels with Epstein to destinations including Thailand, Portugal, Ghana, Russia and China. These trips took place years before Epstein pleaded guilty to charges related to underage prostitution in 2008.
The former president appeared in a photo with Epstein and in a handwritten note in a book Maxwell put together for Epstein’s 50th birthday.
Maxwell attended a Clinton Global Initiative event in 2013. Hillary Clinton said in a BBC interview that her attendance at the event was circumstantial because “thousands of people are participating in the Clinton Global Initiative.”
How unusual is it for Congress to subpoena a former president?
Bill Clinton’s deposition marked the first time Congress forced a former president to testify, although the president sometimes answered questions voluntarily.
Democrats argue the subpoena sets a precedent that could force President Donald Trump to testify about Epstein and other subjects when they regain control of Congress.
“It’s time for the president to answer questions about why files are disappearing from the Justice Department, why there was a White House cover-up, and why people in his administration continue to say this investigation is a hoax,” Garcia said. Trump and Epstein were close friends in the 1990s and early 2000s.
But Republicans argued there was no need to subpoena Trump. Comer said President Trump has already answered “hundreds, if not thousands” of questions from reporters about Epstein and signed legislation to release millions of documents.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said the committee questioned women who accused Epstein of abusing Trump, but the women said Epstein was not involved.
“We got his cooperation and asked the victim directly, and he was exonerated,” Luna said.
