WASHINGTON — Video recordings of depositions given last week by former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as part of the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein were released Monday, revealing hours of testimony where both Clintons denied prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
The release of the depositions, which span a combined eight hours and seven minutes – Bill Clinton’s testimony is 4 hours and 33 minutes long, while Hillary Clinton’s is 4 hours and 35 minutes – culminates a lengthy effort by committee chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) to secure testimony from the couple regarding their knowledge of Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a prison sentence on sex trafficking charges. CBS News reports.
Both Clintons have consistently maintained they were unaware of Epstein’s criminal activity. During his deposition, Bill Clinton acknowledged meeting Epstein in 2001 or 2002, after leaving the White House, stating he was introduced by then-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. He described their relationship as “cordial” but insisted he never considered Epstein a friend. Clinton detailed using Epstein’s private jet for trips related to the Clinton Foundation’s AIDS initiative, explaining an arrangement where he would discuss economics and politics with Epstein in exchange for access to the aircraft. “I thought we had an understanding about the airplane that —that he would let me use the airplane to set up my AIDS program around the world if I agreed to talk to him about economics and politics,” Clinton stated, adding that sensitive government topics were never discussed.
Clinton told the committee he initially found Epstein to be “an interesting man,” but maintained he observed nothing that indicated Epstein was involved in sex trafficking. He denied witnessing any abuse or discussing sexual acts with Epstein. When questioned about a photograph depicting him in a hot tub with an unidentified individual, Clinton explained it was taken during a Clinton Foundation trip to Brunei and he did not know the other person in the photo, nor did he engage in any sexual activity with them.
Hillary Clinton, in her testimony, stated she had “never met Jeffrey Epstein” and had no prior relationship with him. Speaking to reporters after her deposition, she reiterated this claim, stating, “I never met Jeffrey Epstein, never had any connection or communication with him.” She acknowledged knowing Ghislaine Maxwell as a “casual acquaintance” but said she did not recall ever speaking with Epstein. “He wasn’t on my radar. He wasn’t somebody I had any connection to,” she said. The Associated Press reported.
The depositions were conducted behind closed doors in Chappaqua, New York, the Clintons’ hometown, after the couple initially resisted the subpoenas issued by the Republican-led committee. They ultimately agreed to testify to avoid being held in contempt of Congress. Bill Clinton framed his decision to testify as upholding the principle that “no person is above the law, even presidents – especially presidents.”
Democrats on the committee have used Clinton’s testimony to argue that it establishes a precedent requiring President Trump to as well answer questions from lawmakers as part of the Epstein investigation. Like Clinton, Trump also appears in the released Epstein files and has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. However, Democrats have raised concerns about missing files related to Trump, as NPR previously reported, and are seeking further investigation into those discrepancies.
The House Oversight Committee released the full videos of both depositions on YouTube Monday, making the transcripts and recordings available to the public.
