Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a congressional panel that she has no information about disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, saying she does not recall ever meeting him or having any direct contact with his activities.
Clinton made the remarks during a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Thursday in Chappaqua, New York, as part of an ongoing investigation into Epstein’s network and associations. In a public statement released the same day, she said she never traveled on Epstein’s private jet, nor visited his island, residences, or offices.
After more than seven hours of questioning, Clinton told reporters she was repeatedly asked similar questions and provided what she described as procedural suggestions for how the inquiry could be handled more effectively. She declined to share details of those recommendations.
Clinton also said the hearing took an unexpected turn when she was questioned about UFOs and Pizzagate, a debunked conspiracy theory from the 2016 election cycle falsely alleging the existence of a child trafficking ring involving Democratic leaders. She described the theory as one of the “most vile bogus conspiracies” to circulate online.
In her prepared testimony, Clinton accused the Republican-led panel of attempting to divert attention from former President Donald Trump and his past social ties to Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. She also criticized the Trump administration for dismantling parts of a State Department office dedicated to combating international human trafficking.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer dismissed calls for Trump to testify, saying the former president had already answered extensive questions publicly and had been transparent in releasing documents. Comer said the committee’s investigation does not currently implicate Trump in any criminal wrongdoing.
Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, initially resisted testifying but agreed after lawmakers threatened contempt proceedings. Bill Clinton is scheduled to appear before the committee, where he is expected to state that most individuals who interacted with Epstein before his 2008 criminal plea were unaware of his sex-trafficking crimes.
Democrats on the panel, led by Robert Garcia, accused the Justice Department of withholding portions of millions of Epstein-related documents, alleging selective disclosure to protect Trump. The department has said it is reviewing whether any materials were improperly withheld and warned that some released documents contain unverified or sensational claims.
Epstein’s connections have triggered investigations worldwide, including scrutiny of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, highlighting the global scope of the scandal and its ongoing political fallout in the United States.
