The past has a way of pulling up a chair.
Former President Bill Clinton sat before the House Oversight Committee on Friday and denied knowing anything about Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. The setting was closed-door.
Clinton, the first former president compelled to testify before Congress, read from a prepared statement. He defended his past interactions with Epstein and said he saw no sign of criminal behavior.
“First, I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing. 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,” Clinton said.
“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,” he added.
He warned lawmakers that memory fades.
“You’ll often hear me say that I don’t recall,” he said, declining to speculate about decades-old events.
“That might be unsatisfying, but I’m not going to say something I’m not sure of. This was all a long time ago, and I’m bound by my oath not to speculate or to guess.”
Republicans signaled they intend to test that certainty.
Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky said investigators will lean on photos, emails, and travel logs. Records show Epstein visited the White House 17 times during Clinton’s presidency. They also show Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane at least 27 times.
Comer said additional material released by the Justice Department and the Epstein estate will guide questioning.
Clinton has long maintained he cut off communication with Epstein years before Epstein’s 2019 arrest and conviction. There is no allegation that Clinton committed crimes related to Epstein.
The deposition followed testimony from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said she had little memory of ever meeting Epstein and denied involvement in his activities.
The committee has yet to release the transcript or video.
For now, the public has the denials — and the numbers.
As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing—I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes, not sweetheart deals. pic.twitter.com/0rX8cat5Pu
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) February 27, 2026
