Hillary Clinton slammed Republican lawmakers Thursday, calling their subpoena for her testimony about Jeffrey Epstein a “distraction” from President Donald Trump’s ties to the disgraced financier and sex predator.
In an opening statement posted online ahead of the deposition, Clinton made her position crystal clear: she has no firsthand knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and doesn’t recall ever meeting him. “I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices,” she wrote, preemptively cutting off any insinuation otherwise.
Clinton didn’t hold back on the political critique. She accused Republicans of compelling her testimony “fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract from President Trump’s actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers.”
The irony is unavoidable: like former President Bill Clinton, Trump socialized with Epstein, and his name appears repeatedly in Justice Department files. Democrats have flagged that some FBI documents possibly recounting accusations against Trump are missing from public databases — a potential violation of disclosure law — while Clinton faces hours of pointed questioning.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) confirmed that Thursday’s deposition in Chappaqua, New York, would be long, with Friday set for Bill Clinton. “Today will be a long deposition, I would assume, and tomorrow will be an even longer deposition,” Comer told reporters.
The proceedings hit an odd note when Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO.) sent photos of Hillary testifying to right-wing influencer Benny Johnson, temporarily pausing the deposition. Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill called the move a violation of committee rules. “The hearing has been paused briefly while they figure out where the photo came from and why possibly members of Congress are violating that rule,” he said.
The deposition is closed-door, despite the Clintons’ preference for public testimony, though Comer said the committee could hold a public hearing later. The subpoenas for the Clintons were issued alongside a demand that the Trump administration turn over its Epstein investigative files — votes that passed with bipartisan support. When the Clintons initially resisted, Democrats joined Republicans to push a contempt resolution that could have led to criminal charges.
Clinton emphasized that she has no ties to Epstein’s crimes. While Bill Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane and was photographed with him repeatedly, Hillary Clinton said she only had a mutual friend with Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. “I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that,” she wrote.
She criticized the committee’s investigation as partisan theater. “This institutional failure is designed to protect one political party and one public official, rather than to seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors,” Clinton said. “My heart breaks for the survivors. And I am furious on their behalf.”
For Clinton, the deposition isn’t just a procedural headache — it’s a fight against what she calls a deliberate attempt to distract from Trump’s Epstein ties while keeping the focus off the president.
