Confronted with photographs that place him next to women, including one in a jacuzzi, the former president of the United States denied having had sex with these women
Bill Clinton denied having any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes during what he described as “brief contact” between the two, which were discussed Friday in more than six hours of questioning by lawmakers seeking to clarify the former president’s ties to the late convicted sex offender.
Repeatedly, representatives showed Clinton photographs of himself with women, taken from Epstein materials recently released by the Justice Department, asking him if he had had sexual relations with them. On each occasion, he denied it, according to two sources familiar with the testimony.
At some point, the commission focused on a particularly well-known photo of Clinton in a jacuzzi with a woman, whose face was hidden. Clinton said he didn’t know her and denied having sex with her, according to the two sources.
Lawmakers from both parties said Clinton answered every question they asked, and the former president vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
“I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing,” assured Clinton in her opening statement before the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, shared publicly on social media. “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.”
But the questioning about his sexual activities highlighted how Clinton’s past ties to Epstein have come to haunt him and his family.
Clinton’s testimony ended two high-profile days in the Epstein investigation conducted by the Republican-led panel, following the previous day.
The couple took some lawmakers on a trip to Chappaqua, New York, to avoid the spectacle of a former president giving sworn testimony in Washington. But Clinton’s closed-door testimony was no less historic. He became the first former president to testify under subpoena before a congressional committee, setting a new precedent that could have broad ramifications, including for President Donald Trump.
The Clintons’ lawyers and the Republican-led panel negotiated behind the scenes – through email exchanges, letters and phone calls – for months over the terms of the interrogation. Ultimately, the couple only agreed to comply with the subpoenas after the House of Representatives moved toward a bipartisan vote to find them guilty of criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to appear as scheduled.
“I think everyone would agree that he has been very cooperative and is answering the questions fairly and to the best of his ability. He has not been shy about invoking the Fifth Amendment on any of the questions,” Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said of Clinton.
Representative James Comer, the commission’s Republican chairman, said Clinton demonstrated “Southern interpersonal skills.”
“He’s a charming person, obviously,” Comer said.
Unlike his wife, who testified Thursday that she never met Epstein, Clinton has a documented history of interactions with him and Ghislaine Maxwell — who was convicted in connection with Epstein’s crimes.
The panel questioned the presence of Clinton’s name in Epstein’s plane flight logs and the presence of Epstein’s name in Clinton White House visitor logs, according to two sources familiar with the testimony, speaking to CNN.
Clinton spontaneously reported to House of Representatives investigators that Trump told her, in the early 2000s, during a golf tournament, that he had fallen out with Epstein over a real estate deal, according to three sources familiar with the testimony, speaking to CNN.
Trump said he was no longer friends with Epstein, Clinton recalled, according to these sources. It was the former president who offered to report this conversation, one of the sources said.
In her opening statement, Clinton said that “no matter how many pictures you are shown,” it would not change her claim that she saw nothing wrong and did nothing wrong.
Addressing the more than a dozen times she traveled with her team on Epstein’s private plane between 2001 and 2004, Clinton said, “As someone who grew up in a home with domestic violence, not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any suspicion of what he was doing — I would have reported him myself and led the cry for justice for his crimes, not convenient settlements.”
The former president is contained in a 2025 FBI document that compiled a list of more than a dozen sexual assault allegations, including against Trump, that appear to have been unverified.
Clinton was never accused by authorities of any wrongdoing related to Epstein. His spokesman has repeatedly claimed that Clinton cut ties with Epstein before the disgraced financier was accused of soliciting prostitution in 2006 and that he had no knowledge of his crimes. Clinton also denied visiting Epstein’s island.
Trump, likewise, has long denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein.
The president, speaking to reporters in Washington while Clinton’s testimony was underway, expressed concern at seeing him being cross-examined by representatives in court testimony.
“I don’t like seeing him being interrogated, but, you know, they certainly attacked me a lot more than that,” Trump responded. “I like him and I don’t like seeing him questioned.”
Clinton ended up not addressing members of the press gathered outside the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, as Hillary Clinton had done the previous day.
