Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified Thursday before the House Oversight Committee as part of its ongoing investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
In her opening statements, Clinton told lawmakers she had no knowledge of Epstein’s or Maxwell’s criminal activities and said she had never encountered Epstein. The testimony marked the beginning of two days of depositions involving both Clintons, with former President Bill Clinton scheduled to testify on Friday.
The proceedings represent a rare congressional effort to obtain sworn testimony from a former president and first lady regarding their past associations. The Clintons have denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein, and no one has accused them of any crimes.
Early Disruption During Closed-Door Hearing
The deposition experienced an early interruption after Rep. Lauren Boebert leaked a photo of Clinton from inside the hearing room to conservative YouTuber Benny Johnson, who later posted it online.
The leak prompted a pause of approximately 40 minutes while lawmakers reviewed the breach of committee protocols.
When asked by reporters why she shared the image, Boebert responded, “Why not?” She also joked that she liked Clinton’s blue suit and wanted others to see it.
Oversight Democrats later criticized the move as a violation of agreed-upon rules governing the deposition process.
Clinton’s Opening Remarks and Criticism of Inquiry
Clinton released her opening statement on social media shortly after the hearing began, reiterating that she was unaware of Epstein’s crimes and had never met him.
She also renewed her request for a public deposition after the photo leak, though committee chair James Comer said the committee would conduct the process in the same manner used for other witnesses.
In her remarks, Clinton sharply criticized the investigation, calling it a “cover-up.”
“You have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract attention from President Trump’s actions and cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers,” she wrote.
Clinton later told reporters she answered “every one” of the committee’s questions to the best of her knowledge and described parts of the deposition as repetitive.
“I thought it was very repetitive,” she said. “I thought that they literally asked the same questions over and over again, which didn’t seem to me to be very productive.”
She also noted that some questions were unrelated to the investigation.
“It then got, at the end, quite unusual because I started being asked about UFOs and a series of questions about Pizzagate — one of the most vile bogus conspiracy theories that was propagated on the internet — that was serving as the basis of a member’s questions to me,” Clinton told reporters.
Despite her criticisms, she acknowledged portions of the inquiry.
“I want to commend Chairman [James] Comer for raising a series of significant questions that I responded to about the nature of the investigation and the areas that I thought should be explored,” she said. “So I appreciated that, I want to see the truth come out.”
Lawmakers’ Perspectives
Committee leaders emphasized that the investigation was not politically motivated.
“This isn’t a partisan witch hunt,” Comer said before the hearing began. “This was a motion, a bipartisan motion, supported by the Democrats, to bring the Clintons in. So I don’t think it’s any type of being unfair in any way to the Clintons.”
He added, “We worked for six months to get the Clintons to come in.”
The committee had previously moved toward holding the Clintons in contempt of Congress after they declined to honor a subpoena. A full House vote was paused following negotiations between committee members and the Clintons’ legal team that ultimately resulted in this week’s testimony.
Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee’s top Democrat, said Clinton did not invoke her Fifth Amendment right and answered all questions.
Garcia also expressed hope that the depositions would set a precedent for questioning other figures linked to Epstein, including President Donald Trump.
“This committee has now set a new precedent about talking to presidents and former presidents, and we’re demanding immediately that we ask President Trump to testify in front of our committee and be deposed in front of Oversight Republicans and Democrats,” Garcia said.
Other lawmakers offered varied reactions.
Rep. Nancy Mace wrote on social media that Clinton “gave us plenty to work with today.”
“So generous, in fact, that she gave us plenty of ammunition heading into tomorrow’s deposition with her husband,” Mace wrote.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam suggested that the transcript of the deposition would clarify some of the more unusual lines of questioning, including those related to conspiracy theories.
“I hope that the transcript will be released within 24 hours,” Subramanyam said in a television interview. “I’m not allowed to say specifics about it, but I will just say that the transcript will be very revealing about that.”
Clinton’s Statements on Epstein and Maxwell
Clinton said she never met Epstein and described her acquaintance with Maxwell as limited.
She also expressed confidence that Department of Justice files related to Epstein would not suggest that her husband had prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
Clinton reiterated that she would not testify again and criticized the decision to keep the deposition private, saying she and her husband had advocated for a public hearing.
What Comes Next
Bill Clinton is scheduled to appear before the committee on Friday. His testimony may address questions about his past interactions with Maxwell and travel aboard Epstein’s private jet during humanitarian trips after leaving office.
Like Thursday’s session, Friday’s deposition will be filmed. Comer said the Clintons’ attorneys will have an opportunity to review the footage before any public release.
Committee members have indicated that additional current and former officials could be called to testify as the investigation continues.
The Clintons’ testimony this week adds sworn accounts to the congressional record regarding their interactions with Epstein and their awareness — or lack thereof — of his activities. The outcome of the broader inquiry may depend on future depositions and any subsequent release of transcripts or findings.
