2 min readUpdated: Feb 28, 2026 06:37 AM IST
Former US President Bill Clinton told members of Congress on Friday that he “did nothing wrong” and saw no signs of abuse by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as he began a closed-door deposition in Chappaqua, New York.
The testimony marks the first time a former US president has been compelled to give a deposition before Congress.
The session came a day after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared before lawmakers for her own deposition.
The deposition is part of an ongoing inquiry led by the United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, chaired by Republican Rep. James Comer.
“Men — and women for that matter — of great power and great wealth from all across the world have been able to get away with a lot of heinous crimes and they haven’t been held accountable and they have not even had to answer questions,” Comer said before the deposition began.
While Bill Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing, lawmakers are examining his past association with Epstein and Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021.
Clinton’s defense and past ties
In the lead-up to his testimony, Clinton maintained that he had limited knowledge of Epstein and was unaware of any sexual abuse at the time they were acquainted in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
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Hillary Clinton told lawmakers that she expected her husband to testify that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct during their association. She also said she had no recollection of meeting Epstein.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges in Florida related to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. He later died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges.
