In an unprecedented move, former President Bill Clinton appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on February 27, 2026, for a closed-door deposition regarding his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The historic session in Chappaqua, New York, marked the first time in more than four decades that a former president has been compelled to testify before Congress, as reported by ABC News and Axios.
Clinton, whose ties to Epstein have been the subject of public scrutiny for years, opened his testimony with a forceful denial of any wrongdoing. "I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong," Clinton declared in his prepared statement, echoing sentiments he later reiterated under questioning. He emphasized that his relationship with Epstein ended years before Epstein's criminal activities became public and insisted, "Though my brief acquaintance with Epstein ended years before his crimes came to light, and though I never witnessed during our interactions any indication of what was truly going on, I am here to offer what little I know so that it might prevent anything like this from ever happening again." (Nexstar Media)
Clinton's appearance was prompted by a months-long standoff with the Republican-led committee, which had subpoenaed both him and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in January 2026. The Clintons initially resisted in-person testimony, offering instead to provide written statements or a transcribed interview. However, after the committee voted on a contempt resolution—supported by nine Democrats and the Republican majority—the couple agreed to appear for depositions, temporarily staving off a full House vote on contempt charges (ABC News).
Hillary Clinton testified the day before, on February 26, 2026, denying any knowledge of Epstein and stating she never visited his properties or traveled with him. She told the committee, "I did not know Epstein, could not recall ever encountering him and never visited him on his island or at his home or office." She further expressed confidence in her husband’s innocence, noting that most people who interacted with Epstein before his 2008 conviction were unaware of his criminal conduct. "I think that that is exactly what my husband will testify to tomorrow," she said (ABC News).
Bill Clinton took issue with the committee’s decision to subpoena his wife, calling it unfair. "You made Hillary come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing. She has no memory of even meeting him. She neither traveled with him nor visited any of his properties," he said in his opening statement. "Whether you subpoenaed 10 people or 10,000, including her was simply not right." (ABC News, Nexstar Media)
During his own deposition, Clinton acknowledged that he would frequently respond with "I do not recall" to questions about events that occurred decades ago. He also addressed the existence of photographs showing him with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s co-conspirator who is now serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. Clinton asserted, "No matter how many photos you show me, I have two things that at the end of the day matter more than your interpretation of those 20-year-old photos. I know what I saw, and more importantly, what I didn't see. I know what I did, and more importantly, what I didn't do." (ABC News, Nexstar Media)
Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) made clear that the purpose of the depositions was to answer lingering questions about Epstein’s connections to powerful figures. "No one's accusing anyone of any wrongdoing, but I think the American people have a lot of questions, and our House Oversight Committee is committed to getting answers," Comer said. He also noted that Hillary Clinton’s testimony had deferred several questions to her husband, expanding the committee’s line of inquiry for Bill Clinton (ABC News, Nexstar Media).
Clinton’s documented association with Epstein spans the 1990s through about 2003. According to Axios and CNN, flight logs reveal that Clinton traveled on Epstein’s private jet at least 16 times between 2002 and 2003, primarily for Clinton Foundation humanitarian missions in Africa. Epstein also visited the White House multiple times during Clinton’s presidency, and campaign finance records show Epstein contributed to Clinton’s 1992 campaign. However, Clinton has consistently denied ever visiting Epstein’s infamous island or being aware of any criminal activity. In his deposition, he stated, "As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing—I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes, not sweetheart deals." (Nexstar Media)
Emails released as part of the Epstein files show Clinton’s team corresponding with Ghislaine Maxwell on multiple occasions between 2001 and 2004, primarily about travel and event logistics. Maxwell, in a recorded interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in 2025, claimed that it was she—not Epstein—who had a friendship with Clinton and that she organized his trips on Epstein’s aircraft (ABC News).
Both Republicans and Democrats on the committee described Clinton as cooperative during the deposition. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the panel’s ranking Democrat, said, "He's been pretty interested in answering, I think, all the questions of both the Republicans and the Democrats." Democrats, however, have warned that compelling a former president to testify sets a new precedent—one that could be used to force future testimony from figures such as President Donald Trump. "Now we have the Clinton rule, which is that presidents and their families have to testify when Congress issues a subpoena, and that means that Donald Trump needs to come before our committee and explain what he knew about Epstein and explain why we have not had a full release of the documents," said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) (Nexstar Media).
Calls for greater transparency over the Epstein files have grown louder, with both Bill and Hillary Clinton advocating for their depositions to be made public. The files themselves contain unverified allegations against multiple high-profile figures, including Clinton, but no Epstein survivor or associate has ever made a public allegation of wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior by the former president or his wife. Clinton has maintained, "We are only here because he hid it from everyone so well for so long. And by the time it came to light with his 2008 guilty plea, I had long stopped associating with him." (Nexstar Media, Axios)
Meanwhile, President Trump, who has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and claims to have cut ties with Epstein over 20 years ago, expressed some sympathy for Clinton’s position. "I don't like seeing him deposed," Trump told reporters. "They certainly went after me a lot more than that. I like him, and I don't like seeing him deposed." (ABC News)
As the Oversight Committee continues its investigation into Epstein’s web of connections, the Clintons’ testimonies stand as a testament to the fraught intersection of politics, power, and public scrutiny. With both parties calling for further inquiry—some even urging that President Trump be called to testify—the full story of Epstein’s influence in elite circles remains a subject of intense national interest. The Clintons, for their part, continue to insist on their innocence and urge that the process be as transparent as possible, hoping to put lingering doubts to rest once and for all.