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. pic.twitter.com/0rX8cat5Pu

— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) February 27, 2026

In the statement, Clinton framed his participation as part of a broader effort to answer lingering public questions about Epstein and to support victims.

“The girls and women whose lives Jeffrey Epstein destroyed deserve not only justice, but healing,” he said, adding that his “brief acquaintance” with Epstein ended years before the financier’s crimes became publicly known.

Clinton also defended former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who testified the day before, saying she “had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein” and had no memory of even meeting him.

“You made Hillary come in,” he said in the statement. “She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing.”

The 42nd president repeatedly emphasized that he was unaware of Epstein’s misconduct during the period the two were acquainted and said he would have acted differently had he known.

“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,” Clinton said.

He added that, even with hindsight, he never observed behavior that suggested Epstein’s crimes, saying the financier “hid it from everyone so well for so long.”

Clinton also signaled he would be cautious in his testimony, telling lawmakers he would not speculate about events he could not clearly recall decades later.

“You’ll often hear me say that I don’t recall,” he said. “This was all a long time ago. And I am bound by my oath not to speculate, or to guess.”

Clinton’s testimony marked the culmination of months of negotiations between congressional investigators and his legal team over the terms of his appearance in the committee’s inquiry into Epstein’s network and the government’s handling of the case.

Shortly after the deposition began, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) told reporters outside that Clinton was “being very cooperative” and “answering all of our questions.” She declined to discuss specifics while the session was ongoing but said she had “no reason to believe right now that he’s hiding the ball.”

Luna also pushed back on efforts by some Democrats to call what she described as “not credible witnesses,” saying the committee would not entertain individuals who made “unfounded allegations.”

“Just as we wouldn’t call in an individual like Sarah Ransom, who we know made up claims, we’re not going to do the same thing for President Trump,” Luna said, adding she would vote against bringing forward witnesses who have made “false claims” against either Clinton or President Donald Trump.

She further argued that Epstein showed “all of the telltale signs of an intelligence gathering operation” and called for the committee to examine others she said were complicit in trafficking activity.

The deposition comes as lawmakers seek to examine how Epstein cultivated relationships with influential figures and whether earlier investigations failed to hold him or others in his circle accountable.

House oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said ahead of the session that Republicans planned to question Clinton about Epstein’s documented contacts with the White House and his past travel aboard Epstein’s private plane, matters that have appeared in flight logs, photographs, and other records reviewed by investigators.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO GRILL BILL CLINTON ABOUT EPSTEIN VISITING WHITE HOUSE 17 TIMES

Neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton has been charged with or formally accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein’s crimes.

The committee is expected to release video of the former president’s deposition in the coming days, and footage of his wife’s deposition may be released as early as Friday, according to Comer.