CHAPPAQUA, New York — Former US President Bill Clinton rejects allegations of wrongdoing during a private deposition before a House panel examining ties to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, as partisan sparring intensifies over whether former president Donald Trump should also testify.
Clinton acknowledges past contact with Epstein but tells investigators he severed the relationship years before Epstein’s 2008 sex-crimes conviction, insisting he neither witnessed nor participated in illegal activity connected to the disgraced billionaire.
Republican committee chair James Comer says Clinton responds to questions during what he calls a productive session, while fellow Republican Nancy Mace claims there are discrepancies in the testimony without detailing them.
Democrats counter that the probe is misdirected, urging the panel to question Trump over his own documented associations with Epstein. Representative Suhas Subramanyam says Clinton cooperates fully and argues the inquiry should focus on accountability rather than political point-scoring.
In remarks released online, Clinton avoids naming Trump but stresses that no one is beyond the reach of the law, including former presidents. Trump, for his part, downplays the proceedings and expresses discomfort at seeing Clinton compelled to testify.
Clinton’s appearance follows testimony by his wife, Hillary Clinton, who publicly urges the panel to summon Trump under oath. She says she never knew Epstein nor visited properties linked to his alleged trafficking network, while calling for open, televised hearings instead of closed sessions.
Investigators review travel records and newly surfaced photographs from files released by the US Department of Justice, including images depicting Clinton in social settings with Epstein associates such as Ghislaine Maxwell. Clinton reiterates that his flights on Epstein’s plane were for humanitarian work and maintains that had he known of any crimes, he would have alerted authorities.