The House Oversight Committee on Monday released video of the closed-door depositions of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conducted last week in Chappaqua, New York, as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Each Clinton faced roughly four and a half hours of questioning from Republican and Democratic lawmakers. The depositions followed weeks of legal and political wrangling, including the couple’s initial refusal to testify. House Republicans had threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress before the Clintons agreed to appear for in-person questioning.
The sessions, according to the video, featured extended back-and-forth exchanges, repeated denials by Bill Clinton of any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct, and several heated moments involving Hillary Clinton and Republican members of the committee.
Bill Clinton repeatedly denied engaging in sexual activity with women shown in photographs from materials recently released by the Justice Department.
Midway through his deposition, Republican Rep. Nick Langworthy of New York asked Clinton about a photo showing him in a hot tub near a woman whose face was redacted. Clinton said the encounter lasted only minutes.
“I sat in the hot tub for five minutes or whatever it was, and I got up and went to bed,” Clinton said.
When asked directly whether he engaged in sexual activity with the woman, Clinton replied no. “I don’t know who that is,” he said.
Clinton said he believed everyone present in the pool area was part of his travel party, which he described as including Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and staff associated with his HIV/AIDS initiative. He said he was “almost sure” the photo was taken during a 2000 trip to Brunei for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, adding that the sultan had insisted he stay at the hotel and use its facilities.
Lawmakers also questioned Clinton about a note bearing his name in an album compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003. Clinton acknowledged authoring the message but sought to minimize its significance.
He told the panel he had written “hundreds and hundreds” of birthday greetings over the years and did not consider Epstein a “friend.” When asked whether he was aware of Epstein’s “inappropriate activities” at the time, Clinton responded: “Absolutely not. I knew nothing about that.”
Clinton also told lawmakers he did not recall ever meeting Epstein at the White House while serving as president. A Democratic committee lawyer noted that records show Epstein visited the White House 17 times between 1993 and 1995.
Clinton said that although he has since seen a photograph from a White House Historical Association reception, he has no specific recollection of encountering Epstein at that event. Regarding the additional visits, he said, “I don’t think I did” meet with the financier.
“I don’t know who he saw,” Clinton added.
Hillary Clinton’s deposition included several tense exchanges with Republican members, particularly Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
The deposition was temporarily halted about an hour and 20 minutes into Hillary Clinton’s questioning after she learned that a Republican lawmaker had shared a photo of her testifying — a move Democrats said violated House rules governing closed-door proceedings.
Throughout her testimony, Clinton expressed concerns about how the deposition would be portrayed publicly.
“I will confess that I had some concerns about whether the majority on the committee would treat me fairly and … fairly convey what I say and what I did and how I looked and how I responded,” she said, adding that if the hearing had been public, the photo issue would not have arisen.
The release of the video marks the first time the public has been able to view the depositions in full. Lawmakers on both sides had previously characterized the sessions differently, but the footage shows prolonged questioning, repeated denials by Bill Clinton of wrongdoing, and pointed exchanges between Hillary Clinton and Republican members of the panel.
