A closed-door congressional deposition of former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton descended into confrontation and controversy on Thursday, as she firmly denied ever meeting Jeffrey Epstein and accused Republicans of turning the inquiry into political theatre.
Testifying under oath before the House Oversight Committee in Chappaqua, New York, Clinton said she had “no knowledge that would assist” the investigation into Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019. According to US media reports, the deposition lasted more than six hours.
“I don’t know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein,” Clinton told reporters afterwards. She stated that she had never met him, never flown on his plane and never visited his properties.
The session grew tense about an hour in, when a Republican lawmaker leaked a photograph from inside the closed-door proceedings. The image quickly appeared on social media via a right-wing podcaster, triggering objections from Clinton’s legal team and a temporary pause in the testimony. Democrats on the committee accused Republicans of breaking their own rules by allowing images from a private deposition to be made public.
In a written opening statement distributed by her aides, Clinton accused House Republicans of using her as a “prop in partisan political theatre” and suggested the investigation was designed to distract attention from former President Donald Trump. The Oversight Committee, led by Republican Chairman James Comer, has been pursuing testimony from high-profile figures in connection with Epstein’s network and finances.
A "puzzled" Clinton
The questioning, however, did not remain confined to Epstein.
Clinton later revealed that she had been asked about UFOs and about “Pizzagate,” a debunked conspiracy theory that falsely claimed Democratic operatives were running a child sex-trafficking ring out of a Washington pizza restaurant. The theory, widely circulated in far-right circles in 2016, has long been discredited and was linked to an armed incident at the restaurant that year.
Democratic lawmakers present described parts of the session as unserious and unproductive. Representative Suhas Subramanyam said Clinton appeared “puzzled” about why she had been called, adding that hours of questioning failed to establish any direct link between her and Epstein’s activities.
Republicans defended the inquiry as legitimate oversight, pointing to Epstein’s ties to wealthy and politically connected individuals. During the deposition, some members pressed Clinton about her husband Bill Clinton’s past association with Epstein and about Ghislaine Maxwell’s attendance at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding. According to Democratic participants, Clinton responded that Maxwell had been “a guest of a guest” and that she had no meaningful interaction with her.
The committee’s focus on Clinton has drawn criticism from Democrats, who argue that there is no evidence she had knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. Some have demanded the rapid release of the full, unedited transcript of the deposition.
Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify separately, in what would mark the first time a former US president has been compelled to give sworn testimony before a congressional committee against his will.