Hillary Clinton testifies she has no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and does not recall meeting him

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has denied any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal activities during a closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee, telling lawmakers she never flew on the disgraced financier’s plane or visited his island.

Appearing before the Republican-led panel on Thursday, Ms Clinton said she had no new information to offer investigators examining Epstein’s sex trafficking network and insisted she had no awareness of his crimes.

“I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island home or offices,” she said in an opening statement posted to X and delivered to the committee.

Ms Clinton rejected suggestions she or her husband had insight into Epstein’s operations, arguing the committee was pursuing a politically charged line of inquiry despite her repeated denials.

“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 in the statement.

She added that if the committee truly wanted clarity about Epstein’s crimes, it would question the current president directly.

“If this committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement; it would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files,” the statement said.

President Donald Trump has denied wrongdoing and has never been charged in connection with Epstein. The Clintons have likewise not been accused of any crimes related to the late financier.

Committee Chair James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, pushed back against claims of partisanship ahead of the deposition.

“This isn’t a partisan witch hunt. 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,” Mr Comer told reporters.

The interview, which is being videotaped in Chappaqua, New York, follows months of tense exchanges between the committee and the former first couple. Lawmakers had previously threatened contempt proceedings after issuing subpoenas when negotiations over testimony stalled.

Mr Comer said investigators had worked “for six months to get the Clintons to come in,” describing the session as likely to be lengthy. Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to sit for a similar deposition.

While photos have previously surfaced showing Bill Clinton with Epstein and Maxwell in the early 2000s, he has said he flew on Epstein’s plane four times in 2002 and 2003 for Clinton Foundation trips and has denied any knowledge of criminal conduct. In a sworn declaration, he said he had “no recollection” of when he first met Maxwell and no memory of when he last saw her.

Ms Clinton has acknowledged meeting Maxwell “on a few occasions,” noting that “thousands of people go to the Clinton Global Initiative,” but maintains she had no personal knowledge of Epstein’s or Maxwell’s criminal activities.

The committee says it is seeking to better understand how Epstein operated. Ms Clinton, however, has framed her testimony as evidence that she is willing to cooperate — and that she has nothing further to add.