Six Key Moments You May Have Missed From the Clintons’ Epstein Depositions

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were grilled for over four hours each by the House Oversight Committee in its investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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Footage released Monday shows the Clintons, who have both strenuously denied having prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, being questioned by Republicans and Democrats. They fielded queries about their respective connections to Epstein and his long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors.

Hillary said she doesn’t recall having met Epstein, but she did encounter Maxwell a few times. Meanwhile, Bill is pictured socializing with Epstein and Maxwell in the files released by the Department of Justice, and appears on the flight logs for the late financier’s private jet.

There is also a photograph depicting Maxwell attending the wedding of Hillary and Bill’s daughter, Chelsea. When asked about the matter during her deposition, Hillary said Maxwell was simply an invited guest’s “plus one.”

The Clintons have not been accused of any misconduct and, while their names appear in the files, it is not an indication of wrongdoing.

There were heated moments throughout the couple’s separate testimonies, which had tense origins. Hillary and Bill had pushed to testify in front of Congress publicly, but the committee opted for closed-door questioning, instead, with the filmed depositions later being released. The committee had previously voted to recommend holding the Clintons in contempt after they declined to testify. An aide later announced the couple had reversed course and agreed to appear. 

Hillary has been a vocal critic of the committee’s goal in questioning her, accusing the Trump Administration of engaging in a “cover-up” over the release of the Epstein files. 

She previously suggested herself and Bill had been brought into the foray to “divert attention” from President Donald Trump, who is also named in the files and has long been scrutinized over his own relationship with Epstein.

Following the release of the highly-anticipated testimonies from the Clintons, here are the key moments you should be aware of.

Hillary threatens to leave deposition over leaked photo

Roughly an hour into the session, Hillary’s attorney Cheryl Mills interrupted proceedings to question how a photograph of her client, taken inside the hearing room, had ended up online. 

Upon hearing this, Hillary immediately flagged how this was against the rules they had all agreed to uphold. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, admitted to capturing the photo, which was then shared online by right-wing influencer Benny Johnson.

“I’m done with this. If you guys are doing that, I am done,” Hillary said. “You can hold me in contempt from now until the cows come home. This is just typical behavior.”

Raising her voice, Hillary told Boebert “we are all abiding by the same rules,” before standing to take a break. “I’m done, for now,” she said.

After a short recess, Hillary returned to the room with her counsel. Members of the committee were then advised against further violations of the rules regarding photos and videos.

Bill says he discussed Epstein with Trump 

Under questioning from House Democrats, Bill said that he once discussed Epstein with Trump during an encounter at a New York golf course.

“[Trump] somehow knew I had flown in Jeffrey Epstein’s aircraft. And he said, ‘You know, we had some great times together over the years, but we fell out, all because of a real estate deal,’” he claimed.

Bill explained he was unsure who brought up the topic of Epstein, and said Trump did not elaborate further on said “great times.” According to Bill, the exchange occurred over two decades ago.

Bill also said Trump never told him anything that suggested knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.

Trump has said he cut ties with Epstein years before his initial conviction in 2008 and has recently claimed he’s been “totally exonerated” so far as his connection to the disgraced financier.

Hillary has heated exchange with Rep. Mace over Howard Lutnick

Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, pressed Hillary about how she knew Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Emails released in the files showed Lutnick planned to visit Epstein’s home in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2012—years after Epstein’s first conviction and notably after Lutnick professed to have cut ties with the financier.

While giving testimony on Capitol Hill in February, Lutnick said he and his family had shared a lunch with Epstein on his island during a vacation, “for about an hour.”

Tensions grew when Mace asked Hillary about her own connection to Lutnick.

Hillary explained she knew Lutnick in her capacity as a New York Senator in 2001 and had encountered him when he was chief executive of Cantor Fitzgerald—a financial firm that lost hundreds of personnel on 9/11.

As Hillary was detailing the connection, Mace interjected, saying “I know that,” to which Hillary responded: “You asked the question, I’m going to answer your question!”

“Now you’re going to yell at me?” said Mace, highlighting that she herself is a sexual abuse survivor who is “trying to look out for others survivors.”

“Well, I was taking care of the people who lost 3,000 lives at the World Trade Center,” Hillary said, banging her hand on the table. Mace went on to accuse the former presidential candidate of being “defiant” and “indignant.”

Bill denies ever visiting Epstein Island

Bill testified that he met Epstein after leaving the White House, following a call from former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who had then been appointed president of Harvard University.

According to Bill, Summers told him that Epstein had donated millions to support brain research and wanted to discuss economics and politics, largely focusing on “charitable work.”

When asked if he had ever visited Epstein’s island, Bill said, “No.”

Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico later pressed him on the matter, claiming that a victim of Epstein’s had said she saw Bill on the island. “It’s not true,” he responded. 

Bill was also questioned by the panel on whether he was aware or had taken part in any sexual activity on Epstein’s island. 

“I was never on the island,” he said. When asked if he had been to the Virgin Islands, he responded: “In the Virgin Islands with Jeffrey Epstein? No.”

Hillary dismisses “pizzagate” conspiracy

Rep. Boebert raised the conspiracy theory known as “pizzagate,” which around the 2016 election falsely claimed that senior Democrats were running a child sex trafficking ring out of a Washington, D.C., pizzeria.

She asked Hillary whether she had seen anything in the Epstein files which “reference or relate” to the conspiracy.

Hillary reacted with disbelief. “Pizzagate was totally made up. It was an outrageous allegation that ended up hurting a number of people that caused a deranged young man to show up with his assault rifle and shoot up a local pizzeria,” she said, referring to an incident where a man motivated by the conspiracy theory shot at a pizza restaurant. 

“I expected a lot of interesting questions today, but pizzagate was not on my list,” she told the room.

Bill faces tough questions over “hot tub” photo

Lawmakers asked Bill about a photograph showing him reclining in a hotel hot tub beside a woman whose identity has been redacted, and another (see image 60) of him in a swimming pool with Maxwell.

“I don’t know who that is,” Bill said of his hot tub companion, adding that others were present in the pool area. When asked if they were “under 18,” he responded “no,” and confirmed, to the best of his recollection, that everyone there was part of the travelling party. He said he “believes” there was also a Secret Service agent in attendance, “at the other end of the pool.”

Asked directly whether he had sexual contact with the woman, Clinton denied it, saying he only stayed in the hot tub for about five minutes before going to bed.

When asked whether the committee should demand accountability for the photos of Bill in the hot tub, Hillary, in her own deposition, said: “Swimming in a pool, sitting in a hot tub, there are millions of people who do that without any improper behavior or committing any crimes.”