Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sat for a closed-door deposition with the Republican-led House Oversight Committee on February 26, 2026, as part of the committee’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She described the session as repetitive and politically motivated, saying she was compelled to testify despite having nothing to add to the committee’s inquiry.
Clinton’s account of her ties to Epstein and Maxwell
According to multiple reports, Clinton said she never met Jeffrey Epstein and never visited any of his properties, and that she had no knowledge of Epstein’s activities. She also acknowledged only limited social contact with Ghislaine Maxwell, including that Maxwell was once present at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding as a guest’s “plus-one,” while maintaining she did not have relevant information for investigators.
Clinton also criticized the committee for veering into unrelated conspiracy claims and for using her testimony as what she called “political theater” and a “fishing expedition.”
Committee framing and next steps
House Oversight Chairman James Comer said the committee has “a lot of questions” about Epstein and emphasized that the Clintons are not being accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. Fox News reported that Comer also said Bill Clinton’s deposition could run longer than Hillary Clinton’s. Fox News further reported that both depositions are expected to be released on video at a later time.
Bill Clinton deposition and the focus on travel and documents
Reporting highlighted that Bill Clinton is expected to face more scrutiny because his relationship with Epstein has been more extensively documented publicly, including references to flight records showing he rode on Epstein’s plane and the appearance of his name and photos in government-released Epstein materials. Fox News again stressed that neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton has been “implicated” in Epstein’s crimes.
Political dispute: Trump, transparency, and “missing” materials
Clinton argued the committee’s attention on her was designed to shift focus toward her and away from Donald Trump, and she pointed to what she described as broader failures in anti-trafficking policy and enforcement. Meanwhile, Democrats on the panel pressed for additional scrutiny of Trump’s connections to Epstein, and Reuters reported debate around whether Justice Department Epstein materials were incomplete or missing documents—an issue the Justice Department said it would review.
