Former U.S. President Bill Clinton Testifies on Ties to Jeffrey Epstein Before Congressional Oversight Committee
But from Clinton’s perspective, that does not matter, because from his point of view — and his wife’s as well — being suspects whom people do not believe does not trouble them, since in practice there is no clear evidence and no live witness against them. Therefore, they can continue their lives as if no crimes have attached to them from the “beyond all reasonable doubt” point of view.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton testified on Friday before the congressional Oversight Committee investigating the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Speaking at the outset of the closed-door hearing in New York, Clinton said he had no knowledge of the crimes committed by Epstein.
"No matter how many photographs you show me," Clinton said, "I know what I saw and I know what I did.
I saw nothing and I did nothing wrong." He stated that his acquaintance with Epstein was brief and ended years before Epstein’s crimes became public.
Clinton, who appeared one day after Hillary Clinton testified before the same committee, said that the girls and women harmed by Epstein "deserve not only justice, but also healing." He added that although he was never aware of any wrongdoing during his interactions with Epstein, he appeared before the committee to provide whatever information he could to help prevent similar cases in the future.
Clinton cautioned lawmakers that he might respond "I don’t remember" on multiple occasions during the hearing, given that his communications with Epstein occurred many years ago.
He emphasized that, having grown up in an abusive environment, he would have acted against Epstein had he known of his conduct.
"We are here today because he hid his actions very well for a long time," Clinton said.
He also stated that by the time Epstein entered a plea agreement in 2008 on charges related to soliciting prostitution, he had long since ended any association with him.
Clinton has not been charged with any misconduct related to Epstein’s offenses.
His name and photographs have appeared in documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice in recent months.
Hillary Clinton told the committee a day earlier that she had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal activities.
Bill Clinton criticized the committee for summoning her, saying she had no connection to Epstein and no memory of meeting him or visiting any of his properties.
During a break in the hearing, Democratic members of the committee issued a statement calling for U.S. President Donald Trump to testify before the panel.
Representative Robert Garcia said the committee now had a precedent for requesting testimony from both current and former presidents, adding that Trump appears more frequently in the released documents than any individual other than Ghislaine Maxwell.
Democratic lawmakers praised Clinton’s testimony, stating that he answered difficult questions transparently regarding his association with Epstein.
Representative Ro Khanna said he and his colleagues had sufficient votes to compel Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify regarding references to him in Epstein-related documents.
Lutnick faced scrutiny earlier this year after documents contradicted his claim that he had distanced himself from Epstein following revelations of sexual offenses, indicating that he met with Epstein on two occasions afterward, including at a 2011 event at Epstein’s residence and at a family gathering on Epstein’s private island the following year.
The testimony forms part of the committee’s ongoing review of documents and relationships connected to the case.