Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has concluded hours of closed-door testimony before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, insisting she did not know about Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and calling for President Donald Trump to testify under oath about his own past association with the late financier.
Speaking to reporters after a six-and-a-half-hour deposition in Chappaqua, New York, Clinton said she had “answered every one of their questions as fully as I could based on what I knew,” repeatedly maintaining that she did not know Epstein and had no information about his criminal activities.
Clinton also addressed her limited connection to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, who was convicted in connection with his sex-trafficking operation.
She described Maxwell as a casual acquaintance who once attended her daughter’s 2010 wedding as a guest of another invitee.
The deposition is part of the committee’s investigation into Epstein’s crimes, his 2019 death in a New York jail, and broader questions surrounding federal handling of the case.
Clinton used her opening statement to accuse Republicans of engaging in “partisan political theater” and pressed lawmakers to question Trump directly, citing his name’s appearance in documents related to the Epstein investigation.
She stressed that appearing in the millions of Justice Department files tied to Epstein does not imply wrongdoing.
Proceedings were briefly paused after a photograph taken inside the closed-door session was shared publicly by conservative podcaster Benny Johnson.
Democrats on the committee said the image, which Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert acknowledged sending before the deposition began, violated House rules. Clinton later described the leak as “very upsetting.”
Democratic lawmakers strongly defended the former secretary of state.
Rep. Robert Garcia, the panel’s top Democrat, said Clinton was cooperating “in full faith and in good faith” and called for the full transcript or video of the deposition to be released within 24 hours.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari described the proceedings as an “unserious clown show,” accusing Republicans of prioritizing photo opportunities over substantive questioning.
Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican, said the deposition was “productive” and that members “learned a lot,” adding that Clinton at times referred questions about Epstein to her husband.
