CHAPPAQUA, N.Y.— Hillary Clinton told House investigators Thursday that she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s or Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes and did not recall ever meeting Epstein, as she sat for more than six hours of closed-door testimony in a Republican-led congressional investigation that is now also drawing in former President Bill Clinton.
In an opening statement shared publicly, the former secretary of state said, “I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein,” while adding that, “Like every decent person, I have been horrified by what we have learned about their crimes.” After the deposition, she described the questioning as “unusual” and “not very productive.”
The testimony took place in Chappaqua, the Clintons’ hometown north of New York City, after months of confrontation between the former first couple and the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee. Chairman James Comer had threatened contempt proceedings before the Clintons agreed to appear. Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify Friday, in what news outlets have described as the first time a former U.S. president has been compelled under subpoena to testify before Congress.
The committee says it is trying to understand how Epstein built influence around powerful figures and whether earlier government failures helped shield him. Republicans have focused heavily on Bill Clinton’s past association with Epstein, including flights on Epstein’s private plane. Bill Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing, and Reuters, AP and other reports say Hillary Clinton told lawmakers she had no personal connection to Epstein and knew Maxwell only as an acquaintance.
The deposition also exposed the partisan battle surrounding the inquiry. Democrats accused Republicans of using the Clintons to deflect attention from questions involving President Donald Trump and other Republicans. Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia called for Trump to testify as well, arguing that if a former president can be questioned, the same standard should apply more broadly.
One disruption came when Rep. Lauren Boebert sent a photo from the private proceeding to a conservative influencer, according to AP, prompting renewed Democratic demands that the full video and transcript be released quickly. Comer later said he would move to make Hillary Clinton’s testimony public.
