Bill Clinton Testimony: House Oversight Committee Questions Former President on Epstein Connections
Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to be questioned by the House Oversight Committee regarding his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, marking the first time a sitting or former president has testified before Congress in over four decades. The closed-door deposition follows a six-hour questioning of his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, about her knowledge of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The committee chair anticipates that Bill Clinton's deposition will be even lengthier, taking place in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons reside.
In sworn declarations, the Clintons stated they had no personal knowledge of any criminal activities by Epstein or Maxwell. While Hillary Clinton claimed she never met Epstein, Bill Clinton admitted to flying on Epstein's plane in 2002 and 2003 to support the Clinton Foundation's philanthropic work. Despite accusations by President Donald Trump that Clinton visited Epstein's island, emails and statements indicate otherwise. Clinton's declaration mentioned that he had not spoken to Epstein for over a decade before his arrest in 2019 on sex trafficking charges.
Files released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act include numerous photos of Bill Clinton with Epstein and Maxwell, some showing them in social settings. The Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Clintons and former Justice Department officials to testify about Epstein, leading to their agreement to testify as the House considered contempt resolutions. It is uncommon for a sitting or former president to appear before Congress, with the last instance being former President Gerald R. Ford testifying in 1983.
The Democratic-led House committee investigating the Capitol riot subpoenaed Trump in 2022, but the subpoena was withdrawn before the committee disbanded. Democratic members of the Oversight Committee believe that the precedent set by questioning Bill Clinton should also apply to the current president, calling for Trump to testify immediately.