Bill Clinton says he 'did nothing wrong' with Epstein as he faced
grilling over their relationship
[February 28, 2026]
By STEPHEN GROVES
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton told members of Congress
on Friday that he “did nothing wrong” in his relationship with Jeffrey
Epstein and saw no signs of Epstein's sexual abuse as he faced hours of
grilling from lawmakers over his connections to the disgraced financier
from more than two decades ago.
“I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong,” the former Democratic
president said in an opening statement he shared on social media. The
closed-door deposition ended after more than six hours of questioning
from lawmakers who said he answered every question posed to him.
The deposition in the Clintons’ hometown of Chappaqua, New York, marked
the first time a former president has been compelled to testify to
Congress. It came a day after Clinton's wife, former Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, sat with lawmakers for her own deposition.
Bill Clinton has also not been accused of any wrongdoing, and Republican
members of the House Oversight Committee did not immediately level any
accusations against the Clintons as they departed Chappaqua. They
planned to review the depositions but said their attention was mostly
shifting to other individuals.
Lawmakers are grappling with what accountability in the United States
looks like at a time when men around the world have been toppled from
their high-powered posts for maintaining their connections with Epstein
after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges in Florida for
soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.
“We have questions about anyone who spent time with Epstein
post-conviction,” said Republican Rep. James Comer, the chair of the
House Oversight Committee. “Once you knew Jeffrey Epstein was a sex
offender, why did you continue a relationship?”
Bill Clinton, in his opening statement, said that he had long stopped
associating with Epstein by the time of his 2008 guilty plea. He also
said it would be difficult to recall the specifics of events from more
than 20 years ago, but expressed certainty that he had not witnessed
signs of Epstein’s abuse.
Republican Rep. John McGuire accused Bill Clinton of having “selective
memory” during the questioning, but other GOP members departed
acknowledging that he had handled the deposition with skill and candor.
Comer called Bill Clinton “charming” during the questioning.
“Clinton was quite candid, perhaps more candid than his attorneys were
comfortable,” said Republican Rep. Nick Langworthy.
Republicans finally get a chance to question Bill Clinton
Republicans have wanted to question Bill Clinton about Epstein for
years, especially as conspiracy theories arose following Epstein's 2019
suicide in a New York jail cell while he faced sex trafficking charges.
Those calls reached a fever pitch late last year when several photos of
the former president surfaced in the Department of Justice's first
release of case files on Epstein and Maxwell, a British socialite who
was convicted of sex trafficking in December 2021 but maintains she's
innocent. Bill Clinton was photographed on a plane seated alongside a
woman, whose face is redacted, with his arm around her. Another photo
showed Clinton and Maxwell in a pool with another person whose face was
redacted.
[to top of second column]
|
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., speaks outside the Chappaqua
Performing Arts Center where former President Bill Clinton was
testifying before U.S. House lawmakers as part of a congressional
investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Friday,
Feb. 27, 2026, in Chappaqua, N.Y. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Epstein also visited the White House several times during Clinton's
presidency, and the pair later made several international trips
together for their humanitarian work. Comer claimed the committee
has collected evidence that Epstein visited the White House 17 times
and that Bill Clinton flew on Epstein's airplane 27 times.
Democratic lawmakers said they also posed tough questions to Bill
Clinton about his relationship with Epstein and Maxwell.
“We are only here because he hid it from everyone so well for so
long,” Bill Clinton said in his opening statement. “And by the time
it came to light with his 2008 guilty plea, I had long stopped
associating with him.”
Bill Clinton also went after Comer for calling his wife before the
committee, telling him that “including her was simply not right.”
Comer said the committee was working to quickly publish a transcript
and video recording of both days of depositions.
Has a precedent been set?
Democrats, who have supported the push to get answers from Bill
Clinton, are arguing that it sets a precedent that should also apply
to President Donald Trump, a Republican who had his own relationship
with Epstein.
“I think that President Trump needs to man up, get in front of this
committee and answer the questions and stop calling this
investigation a hoax,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on
the committee, on Friday.
Comer has pushed back on that idea, saying that Trump has answered
questions on Epstein from the press. Republicans also said they have
not come across any evidence that Trump did anything wrong in his
relationship with Epstein.
Trump on Friday expressed remorse at Bill Clinton being forced to
testify. “I like Bill Clinton, and I don’t like seeing him deposed,”
he told reporters as he departed the White House en route to Corpus
Christi, Texas.
Democrats are also calling for the resignation of Trump's Commerce
Secretary Howard Lutnick. Lutnick was a longtime neighbor of Epstein
in New York City but said on a podcast that he severed ties with
Epstein following a 2005 tour of Epstein’s home that disturbed
Lutnick and his wife.
The public release of case files showed that Lutnick actually had
two engagements with Epstein years later. He attended a 2011 event
at Epstein's home, and in 2012 his family had lunch with Epstein on
his private island.
“He should be removed from office and, at a minimum, should come
before the committee,” Garcia said of Lutnick.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace questioned Hillary Clinton about
Lutnick's relationship to Epstein during the deposition on Thursday.
On Friday morning, Mace joined in calling for the commerce secretary
to come before the committee.
“I believe we will have the votes to subpoena him,” Democratic Rep.
Ro Khanna said.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
