Former US president Bill Clinton told a congressional committee he had “no idea of the crimes” committed by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and insisted he “did nothing wrong” in his relationship with him.
Clinton made the remarks during a six-hour deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Friday. The appearance came a day after his wife, Hillary Clinton, testified before the same panel and criticised the proceedings as “partisan political theater”.
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In an opening statement released as the hearing began, Clinton said that had he known about Epstein’s criminal conduct, he would have reported it. Referring to his upbringing in a home affected by domestic abuse, he said he would not have associated with Epstein if he had been aware of any wrongdoing.
“Even with 20/20 hindsight, I saw nothing that ever gave me pause,” Clinton said, adding that Epstein had concealed his activities.
Epstein died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His earlier conviction in Florida in 2008 for solicitation of a minor drew criticism over the leniency of a plea deal reached at the time.
Committee chair James Comer described the deposition as “very productive” and said Clinton answered every question put to him. He added that a “consistent theme” emerging from witness testimony was that authorities had failed Epstein’s victims when he was first arrested in Palm Beach.
Clinton acknowledged flying several times on Epstein’s private jet in the early 2000s but said he never visited Epstein’s private island. He told lawmakers he cut ties with Epstein around 2005, before the 2008 plea agreement became public.
According to Comer, Clinton also said he had spoken to Donald Trump about Epstein at a golf tournament in the early 2000s and that Trump had indicated he too had fallen out with the financier. Comer said Clinton did not suggest Trump was involved in Epstein’s crimes.
That account was later disputed by the committee’s ranking Democrat, Robert Garcia, who told reporters that Comer’s description was not a complete representation of what had been said. Democrats have called for Trump to testify before the committee.
Hillary Clinton, during her deposition a day earlier, said she had never met Epstein. After her session, she complained about repetitive questioning and said she had been asked about conspiracy theories, including UFOs and the so-called “Pizzagate” theory.
Comer said visitor logs showed Epstein visited the White House multiple times during Bill Clinton’s presidency and alleged that Hillary Clinton had flown numerous times on Epstein’s plane. Democrats have questioned the interpretation of those records and called for full transcripts or video of the depositions to be released.
Representative Ro Khanna said Clinton’s appearance marked the first time a former president had testified before Congress since Gerald Ford in 1983 and argued that it set a precedent for compelling testimony from former and current presidents alike.
The Clintons were subpoenaed by the House committee in August and initially resisted appearing, requesting that their testimony be held publicly. They agreed to comply after Republicans threatened contempt proceedings.
Clinton has not been charged with any crime in connection with Epstein and has denied past allegations of sexual misconduct unrelated to the financier.
The committee has not indicated when it will release a full transcript of the testimony.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now · Source · 27 Feb 2026