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By Jenna Sundel and Gabe Whisnant
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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told U.S. House lawmakers on Thursday that she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's or Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes at the start of two days of depositions that will also include her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
“I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein," she said in a lengthy opening statement she shared on social media.
The closed-door depositions in the Clintons' hometown of Chappaqua come after months of tense back-and-forth between the high-powered Democratic couple and the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee. It will be the first time that a former president has been forced to testify before Congress.
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Hillary Clinton's Opening Statement: What She Said
Hillary Clinton said congressional investigations are too often “partisan political theater.”
“The Committee justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Let me be as clear as I can. I do not," Clinton said.
She continued, "I never flew on his plane or visited his island. I have nothing to add to that."
Clinton said the committee’s focus should be on the federal government’s handling of the investigations and prosecutions of Epstein. She said lawmakers subpoenaed eight law enforcement officials but heard testimony from only one. She also said five former attorneys general were allowed to submit statements saying they had no relevant information.
“You have held zero public hearings, refused to allow the media to attend them, including today,” Clinton told the panel.
She said the committee has made “little effort” to call individuals who show up most prominently in the released files.
"This institutional failure is designed to protect one political party and one public official, rather than to seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors, as well as the public who also want to get to the bottom of this matter. My heart breaks for the survivors. And I am furious on their behalf," she said.
Clinton also spoke about her work to stop abuses women and girls face in the U.S. and around the world, including human trafficking, forced labor and sexual slavery.
“If you are new to this issue, let me tell you: Jeffrey Epstein was a heinous individual, but he’s far from alone,” she said. “This is not a one‑off tabloid fascination or a political scandal. It’s a global scourge with an unimaginable human toll.”
She criticized the Trump administration, saying it "gutted" the State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Office by cutting more than 70 percent of the career civil and foreign service experts who worked to prevent trafficking crimes.
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“The message from the Trump Administration to the American people and the world could not be clearer: Combating human trafficking is no longer an American priority under the Trump White House," Clinton said.
Clinton outlined what actions she said a committee with elected officials committed to transparency would take in this inquiry, including ensuring the full release of Epstein‑related files, demanding testimony from prosecutors who negotiated Epstein’s plea deal, and getting to the bottom of reports that the Department of Justice withheld FBI interviews in which a survivor accused President Donald Trump of "heinous crimes."
Instead, she argued, the committee has compelled her testimony despite her lack of direct knowledge, calling the effort a "distraction from President Trump's actions."
“What is being held back? Who is being protected? And why the cover‑up?” Clinton asked.
Why Is Hillary Clinton Testifying?
Clinton is testifying in a House investigation into Epstein, the convicted sex offender and disgraced financier who was found dead in New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Epstein had social connections with many prominent people, including Trump and former President Bill Clinton. Neither has been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, with Trump saying his relationship with the sex offender ended years before his death.
Epstein visited Clinton at the White House multiple times in the 1990s, according to visitor logs. After he left office, the former president flew multiple times on Epstein's private jet.
“Traveling on Epstein’s plane was not worth the years of questioning afterward,” Bill Clinton wrote in his 2024 memoir. “I wish I had never met him.”
What Is Contempt of Congress?
Contempt of Congress is when an individual intentionally interferes with congressional action. The House Oversight Committee chairman, Representative James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, threatened criminal contempt of Congress charges against the Clintons if they refused to testify.
When will Bill Clinton Testify on Jeffrey Epstein Ties?
Bill Clinton is expected to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee on Friday.
Update 2/26/26, 1:16 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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