Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday pushed back forcefully against the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, accusing GOP lawmakers of dragging her into their Jeffrey Epstein probe to shift scrutiny away from President Donald Trump.
In opening remarks shared publicly, Clinton said she had no knowledge of the criminal conduct of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein or his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. She rejected the committee’s premise that she possessed relevant information and denounced the subpoena compelling her testimony.
“The Committee justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Let me be as clear as I can. I do not,” Clinton said. She reiterated that, in a prior sworn declaration, she stated she was unaware of their crimes, did not recall ever meeting Epstein, never flew on his plane, and never visited his properties. “I have nothing to add to that,” she said.
Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had initially declined to appear before the committee, arguing through counsel that they had already provided the limited information they possessed. Their attorneys accused Committee Chairman James Comer of engaging in partisan maneuvering. Earlier this month, however, as Republicans signaled they were prepared to pursue contempt proceedings, the Clintons agreed to sit for depositions. Hillary Clinton testified Thursday behind closed doors; Bill Clinton’s deposition is scheduled for the following day. A committee spokesperson said transcripts and video recordings will be made public.
Bill Clinton has appeared in photographs and documents released in connection with Epstein’s case, as have numerous other prominent figures. Hillary Clinton’s name appears in materials often referred to as the “Epstein files,” though none of the released records establish a direct personal relationship between her and Epstein. In a recent interview with the BBC, she said she did not “recall ever meeting” Epstein but acknowledged encountering Maxwell “on a few occasions.” Neither Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein or Maxwell.
At one point during Thursday’s proceedings, the deposition was briefly paused after a photograph from the session surfaced on social media. The image, posted by conservative commentator Benny Johnson, showed Clinton seated at a table flanked by two individuals. Johnson wrote that Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado had shared the photo with him.
In her statement, Clinton said she was “horrified” by the crimes committed by Epstein and Maxwell and pointed to her long record of advocating for women and girls, including survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. She criticized the Trump administration for what she described as weakening federal efforts to combat trafficking.
“A committee endeavoring to stop human trafficking would seek to understand what specific steps are needed to fix a system that allowed Epstein to get away with his crimes in 2008,” she said. “A committee run by elected officials with a commitment to transparency would ensure the full release of all the files, protecting victims and survivors—not powerful men and political allies.”
Instead, Clinton argued, lawmakers had compelled her testimony despite knowing she had no relevant information, in order to “distract attention” from Trump. She renewed allegations that the administration had engaged in a “cover-up” related to the handling of Epstein-related documents.
“If this Committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes, it would ask our current president directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files,” she said. “What is being held back? Who is being protected? And why the cover-up?”
Congress previously passed legislation requiring the public release of government files tied to the Epstein case by Dec. 19, but not all documents were disclosed by that deadline, prompting criticism from lawmakers and survivors. The Justice Department has also faced scrutiny over redactions in the materials that were released, including decisions to withhold certain names while failing to fully shield identifying details of some survivors.
According to reporting by NPR and The New York Times, the Justice Department did not include certain documents in its public database related to a woman who accused Trump of sexual assault when she was a minor. Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said Democrats believe the department may have improperly withheld FBI interview records connected to that allegation and announced plans to investigate.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has said he had no prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. A White House spokesperson told NPR and the Times that Trump has been “totally exonerated” regarding any connection to Epstein.
Trump’s name and image appear multiple times in documents that have been made public. In one 2019 email later shared by House Democrats, Epstein claimed Trump “knew about the girls.” Among the files released in December was an FBI document recounting a call to the bureau’s National Threat Operations Center in which an unnamed caller alleged that a woman had told him she was raped by “Donald J. Trump” and Epstein. The Justice Department said some materials in the release contained “untrue and sensationalist claims” submitted shortly before the 2020 election and characterized the allegations against Trump as unfounded.
“To be clear,” the department said at the time, “the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.”
