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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told members of the House Oversight Committee on Thursday that she had “no idea” about the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein or his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, denying any connection to the disgraced financier as Republicans continue to probe his ties to powerful figures.
Clinton testified for several hours behind closed doors in New York after agreeing — along with her husband, former President Bill Clinton — to comply with a subpoena from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, avoiding a potential contempt vote.
“I never met Jeffrey Epstein. Never had any connection or communication with him,” Clinton told reporters following the deposition. “I knew Ghislaine Maxwell casually as an acquaintance.” She said Maxwell attended her daughter’s wedding only as a guest of another invitee.
In a prepared opening statement, Clinton told lawmakers she had “no idea about their criminal activities,” adding that she never flew on Epstein’s plane or visited his properties. “I have nothing to add to that,” she said.
Both Republicans and Democrats on the committee acknowledged Clinton answered all questions posed to her. Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee’s top Democrat, said Clinton was “completely cooperating” and testifying “in good faith.”
Republicans, however, framed the deposition as part of a broader effort to understand Epstein’s rise and influence. Committee Chairman James Comer said the panel is examining how Epstein amassed his wealth, whether he cultivated relationships with powerful figures for protection, and whether he ever acted as a government asset.
“No one’s accusing the Clintons of wrongdoing,” Comer said earlier Thursday. “But we have a lot of questions.”
Clinton accuses Republicans of political motives
Clinton sharply criticized the committee’s investigation, accusing Republicans of using her testimony to divert attention from President Donald Trump and his past associations with Epstein.
“The actions of this committee appear designed to protect one political party and one public official, rather than seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors,” Clinton said, asserting she was compelled to testify despite having no information relevant to the probe.
She said Republicans should instead question Trump directly and under oath, noting that Trump’s name appears repeatedly in Epstein-related records released by the Justice Department. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
After the deposition, Clinton indicated she would not participate in a public hearing, despite saying she had preferred public testimony from the start. “They had a chance to do it in public,” she said. “I’m not going to do it again.”
Deposition marked by disruption, partisan tensions
The testimony was briefly halted early in the day after Rep. Lauren Boebert leaked a photograph of the closed-door proceedings to a right-wing commentator, an apparent violation of House rules. Clinton later described the incident as “very upsetting.”
As questioning continued, Democrats said no new information emerged. Garcia called on Republicans to release the full, unedited transcript within 24 hours. Comer said the committee hopes to release video of the deposition “as quickly as possible.”
Republicans said Clinton frequently deferred questions about Epstein’s broader connections to her husband. Rep. Scott Perry said that inquiries involving the Clinton Global Initiative or Epstein’s relationship with the Clintons “have to be directed to Bill Clinton.”
Clinton has denied having any personal knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and said she played no role in federal investigations into Epstein or Maxwell during her years in public service.
Calls grow for Trump testimony
Democrats argued the deposition sets a precedent for compelling testimony from Trump himself. Garcia said Republicans should support calling the president to testify under oath, noting that Trump’s frequent interactions with the press are not sworn testimony.
Comer has rejected that idea, saying Trump already answers questions publicly.
Neither Hillary nor Bill Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing. Both have publicly supported the release of all Epstein-related files.
In a recent BBC interview, Clinton said Republicans were attempting to “divert attention” from Trump and his administration’s handling of the Epstein records. “This is not complicated,” she said. “Why do they want to pull us into this? To distract from President Trump.”
Asked what surprised her most about the deposition, Clinton said some lawmakers questioned her about unrelated conspiracy theories. “At the end,” she said, “it got quite unusual.”
