Former U.S. president Bill Clinton has pushed back firmly against lingering questions over his past association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, telling lawmakers he never witnessed anything that raised concern during the time they crossed paths.
Speaking during a rare closed-door session with the House Oversight Committee on Friday, Clinton said he would have immediately distanced himself from Epstein had he known about any alleged abuse or trafficking. “I saw nothing that gave me pause,” Clinton told investigators, according to people familiar with the testimony.
The appearance marked a historic moment, with Clinton becoming the first former U.S. president compelled to testify before Congress in such an inquiry. The session unfolded amid heightened political tension, with Democrats arguing the probe is incomplete without examining the role of Donald Trump, another high-profile figure who once socialized with Epstein.
Clinton acknowledged that he flew on Epstein’s private jet several times in the early 2000s, after leaving the White House, but insisted he was unaware of any criminal activity at the time. “He concealed it from everyone for years,” Clinton said, emphasizing that secrecy — not complicity — explains why powerful figures were caught in Epstein’s orbit.
Millions of documents released by the U.S. Justice Department have kept the controversy alive, including photographs showing Clinton in social settings linked to Epstein. Clinton told lawmakers those images do not prove wrongdoing and reiterated: “I did nothing wrong.”
Republican committee chair James Comer described the testimony as calm and cooperative, while signaling that further subpoenas remain possible. He also said statements given earlier by Hillary Clinton — who testified a day earlier — would be reviewed for consistency.
Democrats on the panel accused Republicans of selective scrutiny, arguing that Trump’s absence from the witness list undermines the investigation’s credibility. “This inquiry has a glaring hole,” one Democratic lawmaker said, pointing to Trump’s past social ties with Epstein.
Trump, speaking separately at the White House, expressed sympathy for Clinton while reiterating that he severed ties with Epstein before the financier’s 2008 conviction. U.S. authorities have not accused either Clinton or Trump of criminal conduct related to Epstein.
Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges, a death ruled a suicide. Yet years later, the fallout continues — with Clinton’s testimony ensuring the Epstein case remains a potent and polarizing force in American politics.
