Bill Clinton tells lawmakers he ‘Did nothing wrong’ in Epstein deposition

Former US president Bill Clinton on Friday began a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee investigating the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, marking a rare and politically significant moment in which a former president was compelled to testify before Congress.

Clinton opened his testimony in Chappaqua, New York, by stating that he had “done nothing wrong” and had seen no signs of Epstein’s sexual abuse during the time they were acquainted. The deposition followed a similar appearance a day earlier by his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton , who told lawmakers she had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and did not recall ever meeting him.

House Oversight Committee chair James Comer said the inquiry focuses on how influential figures maintained relationships with Epstein even after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. He argued that powerful individuals had long escaped accountability for their connections to Epstein’s network.

Although Bill Clinton has not been accused of any wrongdoing, his past association with Epstein and Epstein’s former partner Ghislaine Maxwell has drawn renewed scrutiny. Committee investigators claim Epstein visited the White House several times during Clinton’s presidency and that Clinton traveled multiple times on Epstein’s private aircraft in the late 1990s and early 2000s . Clinton has maintained that his relationship with Epstein ended years before allegations of abuse became public.

Democrats on the committee said the investigation should extend to other political figures with Epstein ties, including President Donald Trump . Ranking Democrat Robert Garcia urged Trump to testify under oath instead of dismissing the probe as a hoax. Lawmakers also renewed calls for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to appear before the panel following disclosures of continued contact with Epstein after 2010.

Despite lawmakers’ repeated public demands for transparency, Clinton’s deposition was held behind closed doors. Critics questioned why such a historic testimony by a former president was not conducted publicly, as committee leaders had earlier suggested. The panel said transcripts and video recordings may be released later, but the decision to keep proceedings private has raised concerns about whether the investigation is meeting its own standards of openness and accountability.