Former US president Bill Clinton has testified before a congressional panel that he “saw nothing” and “did nothing wrong” regarding his past association with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
During a day-long, private hearing held in New York, the former president was questioned about his appearance in recently unsealed documents, including a photograph depicting him in a hot tub with an unidentified person.
The testimony follows a similar appearance by his wife, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who informed the committee the previous day that she possessed “had no idea” of Epstein’s criminal activities.
Bill Clinton maintained that he would have immediately alerted authorities and severed all contact with the financier had he been aware of his conduct.
He stated in an official opening remarks that he would have “turned him in myself”. While the Clintons’ names appear frequently in the Epstein files, this does not signify illegal acts, and no survivors have accused either of the Clintons of any misconduct.
A significant portion of the questioning focused on a photo of Clinton in a hot tub with a woman whose identity was concealed.
Sources indicate that Clinton denied knowing the woman or having any sexual relationship with her. Following the session, the former president released a video reiterating that he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes, regardless of the number of photographs produced by investigators.
Both Bill and Hillary Clinton had initially opposed the House Oversight Committee subpoenas as being politically driven, but they eventually complied to avoid contempt-of-Congress charges.
James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, characterised the interview as a “very productive deposition”.
He confirmed that Clinton attempted to answer all inquiries and announced that a full transcript and video recording would be made public shortly. Comer described the proceedings as “historic,” noting that the Clintons are the two highest-ranking officials ever deposed by the US Congress. Clinton is now the seventh current or former president to provide testimony to a congressional committee.
The hearing also addressed President Donald Trump’s ties to Epstein. House Democrats suggested that Clinton’s testimony provided “additional information” regarding Trump, leading to renewed demands for the current president to be called for questioning.
When asked if Trump should testify, Clinton reportedly told lawmakers, “That’s for you to decide”, while adding he had no personal knowledge of Trump being involved in Epstein’s crimes. Chairman Comer stated that nothing in the testimony changed his view that Trump has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Clinton has consistently stated that his interactions with Epstein were strictly related to his post-presidency charity work starting in 2001. He expressed deep regret over the association and clarified that he ended all ties with the financier approximately 20 years ago.
Epstein died in a New York correctional facility in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
