(DDM) – Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton forcefully denied any connection to the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein after spending more than six hours answering questions from lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee.
Speaking to reporters in Chappaqua, New York, following the closed-door session, Clinton said she had “answered every one of their questions as fully as I could based on what I knew.”
She stressed repeatedly that she never met Epstein and had no communication with him.
“I don’t know how many times I had to say, ‘I did not know Jeffrey Epstein,’” she told members of the press.
The deposition took place behind closed doors, a decision Clinton sharply criticized. She argued that Republican lawmakers should have held a public hearing instead of conducting the questioning in private.
By doing so, she said, they denied the public the opportunity to directly observe her testimony.
Clinton also addressed questions about Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in connection with Epstein’s crimes.
Clinton said she knew Maxwell only casually and described her as an acquaintance. She explained that Maxwell attended her daughter Chelsea Clinton’s 2010 wedding as the guest of another invitee.
The deposition forms part of a broader Republican-led inquiry into individuals and institutions that may have had past associations with Epstein, whose criminal case and subsequent death in federal custody fueled widespread scrutiny and conspiracy theories.
Lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee have sought to examine any potential political or institutional ties to the disgraced financier.
Clinton has long faced intense political scrutiny, and Thursday’s questioning underscores how Epstein’s shadow continues to reach prominent public figures years after his conviction.
While she maintained that she possessed no knowledge of his misconduct, Republicans have defended their investigative efforts as necessary oversight.
Democrats, meanwhile, have accused GOP lawmakers of using the issue for political theater. Clinton’s criticism of the private setting signals a broader dispute over transparency and process in congressional investigations.
No immediate details emerged about whether lawmakers uncovered new information during the session. Committee leaders have not yet released a transcript of the deposition.
Clinton concluded her remarks by reiterating that she cooperated fully and provided all relevant information available to her. The episode adds another chapter to the enduring political reverberations surrounding Epstein’s case and the figures who once crossed paths, however briefly, with his social circle.
