Lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee emerged from a six-hour deposition with former President Bill Clinton with sharply contrasting takeaways — particularly when it came to President Donald Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
During the closed-door proceedings in upstate New York, Clinton was peppered with questions about the billionaire pedophile — including whether or not he had sex with an unidentified woman pictured in the Epstein files.
The former two-term Democratic president stressed that he “did nothing wrong,” that he “saw nothing that ever gave me pause” and that he cut ties with the convicted sex offender long before his 2008 guilty plea.
Following the deposition Friday, Republican lawmakers thanked Clinton for his cooperation, with Rep. Nancy Mace telling reporters that “he did attempt to respond to every single question asked, even when his attorneys told him to shut up.”
GOP officials also claimed that Clinton’s testimony absolved Trump of wrongdoing, while Democrats contended that it actually raised more questions than it answered about the 79-year-old president.
Both Clinton and Trump have denied wrongdoing associated with Epstein. Neither has been charged with a crime associated with him.
Video of the proceeding is expected to be released soon and lawmakers have said that more people will be brought in to testify.
Here are the main takeaways from Bill Clinton’s deposition.
Democrats and Republicans sparred over Trump’s relationship with Epstein
Democratic members of the committee told reporters that Clinton’s testimony raised more questions about why Trump and Epstein stopped being friends in the early 2000s.
“In fact, President Clinton confirmed that he knew Trump and Epstein had a close relationship and said Trump reported having ‘great times’ with Epstein,” Oversight Democrats wrote in a statement.
Trump, who has always maintained his innocence related to Epstein, has said he stopped being friends with Epstein because he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago after learning Epstein acted inappropriately with women.
But Republican Chairman James Comer had a different takeaway — claiming Clinton exonerated Trump of wrongdoing.
“He stated that he has no information that President Trump did anything wrong, and that President Trump never said anything to Clinton to make him think that he was involved with Epstein,” Comer said in a statement.
Bill Clinton said ‘I did nothing wrong’
The former president adamantly stated in his opening remarks that while he once knew Epstein, he knew nothing of Epstein’s crimes and never participated.
“I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing,” Clinton told lawmakers.
Bill Clinton has always maintained his position of innocence, despite unflattering photos that have emerged, which have led to speculation.
“No matter how many photos you show me, I have two things that, at the end of the day, matter more than your interpretation of those 20-year-old photos. I know what I saw, and more importantly, what I didn’t see. I know what I did, and more importantly, what I didn’t do. I saw nothing and I did nothing wrong,” Clinton said.
The former president added that “as someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I not have flown on his plane…. I would have turned him in myself.”
Lawmakers asked Bill Clinton about photos in Epstein files
The former president was reportedly asked about photos where he appears alongside Epstein and occasionally women. The photos were unveiled by the Justice Department as part of the Epstein files.
One photo in particular shows Bill Clinton reclined in a jacuzzi with a woman whose face is redacted. When asked if he knew the women, the former president said he did not.
When asked if he had ever had sex with the woman, Clinton said he did not, sources told CNN.
The former president specifically told members of the committee that his memory may not be able to recall some of the details from years ago.
Bill Clinton criticized lawmakers for deposing Hillary Clinton
As part of his opening statements, Clinton criticized lawmakers for forcing his wife, Hillary Clinton, to also sit for a six-hour closed-door deposition Thursday.
“You made Hillary come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing. She has no memory of even meeting him. She neither traveled with him nor visited any of his properties. Whether you subpoenaed 10 people or 10,000, including her was simply not right,” Bill Clinton said.
Hillary Clinton has consistently said she did not know Epstein well, had never been to his home or offices, never flown on his jet and didn’t remember meeting him.
Democrats accused Republican committee members of subpoenaing Hillary Clinton for a political show, saying they asked unrelated questions about UFOs, conspiracy theories and her personal feelings.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, meanwhile, accused the former secretary of state of“screaming” and being “unhinged” during her deposition. A spokesperson for Hillary Clinton called Mace “full of s***.”
What comes next?
After Clinton’s deposition, Republican committee members emphasized that their investigation remains ongoing, noting they still seek answers about Epstein — including about the source of his wealth and the network of individuals connected to him.
“We’re going to bring more people in,” Comer told reporters. “We’re not finished.”
In addition to the Clintons, the committee deposed billionaire Les Wexner, a longtime Epstein associate, in Ohio earlier this month.
When asked whether Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick would be brought in to testify, Comer urged viewers to “stay tuned.”
“We have a lot of questions about anyone who spent time with Epstein post conviction, the first conviction,” he said. Earlier in the day, Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, said he believes they have enough votes to subpoena Lutnick, who admitted to visiting Epstein’s private island in 2012.
When it came to Trump, Republicans struck a different tune, claiming there was no need to bring the president before the committee as they said without evidence that he has been exonerated of wrongdoing. Democrats, on the other hand, have repeatedly called for Trump to face questions about his relationship with Epstein.
“If Donald Trump, according to them, is exonerated, then why did Secretary Hillary Clinton — who’s literally never met Jeffrey Epstein — come before us?” Rep. Yassamin Ansari, an Arizona Democrat, told CNN on Friday evening. “By that standard, Donald Trump should come before this committee.”
