Bill Clinton denies any wrongdoing related to Epstein: ‘I saw nothing’

Former Democratic President Bill Clinton said he had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes in an opening statement delivered Feb. 27 to the House Oversight Committee, which is investigating the convicted sex offender’s ties to powerful individuals.

“I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing,” Clinton said in his statement posted on X. “No matter how many photos you show me, I have two things that at the end of the day matter more 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 saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong.”

“As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse,” he added, “not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing — I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes.”

The closed-door deposition took place in Chappaqua, New York, the Clintons’ hometown, and marked the first time a former president has been compelled to testify to Congress. 

Clinton also criticized the committee’s decision to subpoena his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, calling it unfair because she had “no memory of even meeting” Epstein. As Zeale News previously reported, Hillary Clinton said in her opening statement that she had “no idea” about Epstein’s criminal activities and does not recall “ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, home, or offices.” 

Bill Clinton maintained a friendship with Epstein from the 1990s until about 2003, The Hill reported, and Epstein visited the White House during the Clinton administration. The former president has also appeared in multiple photographs with both Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

CBS News reported that in a sworn declaration submitted to the committee in January, Bill Clinton said Epstein offered him the use of his private plane in support of the Clinton Foundation’s philanthropic work between 2002 and 2003. He also denied ever visiting Epstein’s island and said he had not communicated with Epstein for more than a decade before his 2019 federal arrest, according to the outlet.

Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters before the deposition that he is “committed to getting answers.” 

“We’ve already seen a lot of people who have been held accountable by having to resign in disgrace from various boards all over the world,” he added. “We’re going to continue to seek the truth, try to figure out how the government failed the victims, and try to hopefully hold more people accountable.”