Bill Clinton says he had ‘no idea’ of Epstein’s crimes in closed-door testimony

Former President Bill Clinton told the House Oversight Committee that he had “no idea” about the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, who is set to testify in Chappaqua, New York.

Clinton is in the hot seat in the committee’s bipartisan investigation of the late financier and sex trafficker for an all-day question session about her relationship with Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

According to the prepared opening statement, Clinton said, “Let me tell you what you will hear from me now. First of all, I had no idea about the crimes that Epstein committed. No matter how many photos you show me, at the end of the day, I have two things that are more important than your interpretation of those 20-year-old photos.”

“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 didn’t see anything and I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Clinton also warned lawmakers, “You will often hear me say I don’t remember,” but said she would not speculate when asked questions.

“This may be unsatisfactory, but I’m not going to say anything I’m not sure about. This was all a long time ago, and I vow not to speculate or speculate. That’s not only in my best interest, but also because it doesn’t do me any good to play detective after 24 years,” Clinton said.

Meanwhile, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., suggested he had many questions for the former president ahead of the testimony.

“I think everyone saw that there were a lot of photos released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) as well as the Epstein estate. There’s a lot of email correspondence involving President Clinton,” Comer said when asked what he needed to hear.

“Secretary Clinton confirmed this yesterday: Jeffrey Epstein was in the White House 17 times while Bill Clinton was president. We know that Bill Clinton flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane at least 27 times. So these are the questions we will be asking.”

He said the questions would concern Epstein and Clinton’s relationship with the late financier’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a prison sentence in Texas after being convicted on federal sex trafficking charges.

Comer told reporters that the list of questions for Clinton “increased” after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before the committee on Thursday.

“Mrs. Clinton deferred many questions to her husband today. At least a dozen times she said, ‘You’ll have to ask my husband that. I can’t answer that,'” the president said.

Rep. James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky and chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, speaks with members of the media as he arrives at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center for a closed-door deposition with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, center, joined by Republican members of the House Oversight Committee on February 26, 2026, in Chappaqua, NY. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Many of those delays were related to the Clintons’ nonprofit work, he said.

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“There are many examples in the evidence the Department of Justice released in cables in which Epstein initially boasted about how much of a role he played in establishing the Clinton Global Initiative and the Clinton Foundation,” he said.

“We asked Secretary Clinton these questions yesterday, and she kept saying she was in the Senate at the time. She wasn’t focused on that. ‘You’ll have to ask my husband.’ “So many questions from the Clinton Global Initiative remained unanswered yesterday because Mrs. Clinton bowed to her husband.”

A person with knowledge of the planning told Fox News Digital that Bill Clinton’s testimony began a few minutes after 11 a.m. Friday.

Comer told reporters Thursday after Hillary Clinton’s meeting that he expected Friday’s ordeal to be “even longer.”

His testimony lasted about six hours from start to finish, with a brief lunch break in between.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks with members of the media outside the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center on February 26, 2026 in Chappaqua, NY. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Neither Clinton has faced any charges related to Epstein’s crimes. But the former president’s name appears multiple times in documents released by the Justice Department and the House Oversight Committee regarding the investigation into Epstein.

Like her husband’s statement, Clinton will speak to the committee behind closed doors and under oath.

The interview is planned to be transcribed and released, along with a video that will likely be released within a week of its conclusion.

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