Bill Clinton tells House panel he had ‘no idea’ about Epstein crimes

Former President Bill Clinton told House lawmakers he “saw nothing” that ever “gave him pause” during his years associated with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein or his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Mr. Clinton, sitting Friday for an unprecedented congressional deposition of a former president, said despite photos showing him with Epstein and some of Epstein’s victims that he had limited interactions with him.

“I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing, no matter how many photos you show me,” Mr. Clinton said.

The former president told lawmakers, “Though my brief acquaintance with Epstein ended years before his crimes came to light, and though I never witnessed during our limited interactions any indication of what was truly going on, I am here to offer what little I know so that it might prevent anything like this from every happening again.”

Democrats said the House GOP broke precedent by forcing a former president to testify, even though Democrats did not vote to block subpoenas approved by the panel last year that compelled Mr. Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to testify.

Democrats said Mr. Clinton’s testimony must be followed by a sworn interview with President Trump, a former Epstein friend whose name appears frequently in the Epstein files.

“We are once again demanding that now President Trump, who was in the Epstein files almost more than anyone else besides Ghislaine Maxwell, answer our questions,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight committee. “This is not a hoax. He has not been exonerated, and we have serious questions for President Trump.”

Lawmakers grilled both Mr. Clinton and Mrs. Clinton at separate, closed-door depositions held near their home in Chappaqua, New York.

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The former first couple had for months been refusing to testify and finally agreed to talk under oath to stave off a contempt of Congress vote in the House that likely would have passed with support from Democrats.

Mr. Trump, asked by reporters about Mr. Clinton’s grilling from lawmakers, said, “They certainly went after me a lot more than that. I like him, and I don’t like seeing him deposed.”

Democrats, like the GOP, said they wanted to ask the former president about his connection to Epstein.

Mr. Clinton, 79, had a well-documented relationship with Epstein and the former president turns up Epstein’s private jet flight logs and in photographs showing him in the company of Epstein and Maxwell.

Mr. Clinton appears in several photos with some of the female victims of Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme.

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Epstein visited the White House 17 times while Mr. Clinton was in office. After Mr. Clinton exited the White House, he formed a friendship with Epstein as he worked to establish the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative, which Maxwell helped establish and Epstein helped to fund.

Despite those connections, the former president told lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee he was entirely unaware of Epstein’s sexual abuse of girls, many of whom were underage.

“I saw nothing and did nothing wrong,” Mr. Clinton said. “As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, 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, not sweetheart deals.”

Halfway through his testimony, Democrats emerged from the deposition and said Mr. Clinton was answering every question.

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“The fact that we have the former president of the United States, Bill Clinton, under oath, speaking to the Oversight Committee and answering questions in a transparent manner is critical,” said Rep. Yassamin Ansari, Arizona Democrat.

Mr. Clinton testified a day after Mrs. Clinton provided her own deposition to the panel regarding Epstein and Maxwell. Mrs. Clinton said she has no memory of meeting Epstein, although she appears in a few photos with him.

Maxwell was a guest at daughter Chelsea’s 2010 wedding, but was not personally invited and came as the date of an invited guest, Mrs. Clinton said.

The former president chastised the committee for compelling Mrs. Clinton to testify about Epstein.

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“You made Hillary come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing. She has no memory of even meeting him. She neither traveled with him nor visited any of his properties. Whether you subpoenaed 10 people or 10,000, including her was simply not right,” Mr. Clinton said.

Mr. Clinton was among the most prominent of the many wealthy and powerful individuals who associated with Epstein ahead of his first arrest in 2006. Epstein helped fund the Clinton Global Initiative and wired $1 million, through Maxwell, to a publicity firm for the organization’s 2005 launch.

Mr. Clinton said he cut ties with Epstein by 2006 and has never been accused of wrongdoing by authorities or any of the victims.

The former president called for “justice and healing” for Epstein’s sex trafficking victims, many of whom were underage at the time they were lured into his orbit and sexually assaulted.

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• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.