NEED TO KNOW

• Hillary and Bill Clinton testified under subpoena before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 26-27, marking the first time a former president was compelled to testify before Congress
• Both Clintons denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes while Democrats demanded Trump testify under the same precedent — a demand Republicans rejected
• An NPR investigation found the DOJ withheld or removed Epstein files related to sexual abuse allegations against President Trump, raising bipartisan transparency concerns

CHAPPAQUA, NY (TDR) — The Clinton Epstein depositions this week were supposed to answer longstanding questions about what powerful people knew about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Instead, the two-day proceedings in a quiet New York hamlet exposed something arguably more damning: a political system where both parties weaponize accountability while shielding their own.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sat for more than six hours of closed-door testimony on Feb. 26 before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee. Former President Bill Clinton followed the next day with a similarly lengthy session. Both denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities. Neither has been accused of wrongdoing by law enforcement.

“I don’t know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein. I never went to his island, I never went to his homes, I never went to his offices.” — Hillary Clinton

What The Records Actually Show

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The documented connections between the Clinton family and Epstein are extensive. White House visitor logs show Epstein signed in at least 17 times between 1993 and 1995, often meeting with Clinton aide Mark Middleton. Flight logs from Epstein’s private jet list Bill Clinton on 26 separate flight legs across four international trips between 2002 and 2003 — trips Clinton says were for Clinton Foundation charitable work. An Epstein-controlled charity donated $25,000 to the Clinton Foundation in 2006.

Bill Clinton acknowledged the relationship but framed it as distant and pre-criminal.

“I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong. No matter how many photos you show me, I have two things that at the end of the day matter more than your interpretation of those 20-year-old photos. I know what I saw, and more importantly, what I didn’t see.” — Bill Clinton

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During his testimony, lawmakers showed Clinton numerous photographs of himself with women from the Justice Department’s Epstein file release, including a widely circulated image of him in a jacuzzi with an unidentified woman. Clinton denied knowing her and denied sexual contact each time. Both Republicans and Democrats confirmed the former president answered every question posed to him.

The Precedent Question Neither Party Wants To Answer

The depositions immediately ignited a fierce debate over who should testify next. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the committee’s ranking Democrat, argued the proceedings created a binding precedent.

“This committee has now set a new precedent about talking to presidents and former presidents. We’re demanding immediately that we ask President Trump to testify in front of our committee.” — Rep. Robert Garcia

Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) deflected, telling reporters that President Donald Trump had already “answered hundreds, if not thousands of questions” from the press about Epstein. Trump himself weighed in from Washington as Bill Clinton’s deposition was underway.

“I don’t like seeing him deposed, but you know, they certainly went after me, a lot more than that. I like him, and I don’t like seeing him deposed.” — President Donald Trump

The symmetry is hard to ignore. Trump appears in the Epstein files more than 38,000 times, according to document tallies. An NPR investigation published days before the Clinton depositions found the Justice Department withheld or removed Epstein files related to sexual abuse allegations against Trump — including what appears to be more than 50 pages of FBI interviews with a woman who accused both Trump and Epstein of assaulting her as a minor. Trump has denied all wrongdoing and the DOJ has called the allegations “untrue and sensationalist.”

Democrats on the committee say they reviewed unredacted files at the DOJ and confirmed the missing documents. Republicans have not addressed the discrepancy directly.

When Spectacle Replaced Substance

The proceedings themselves illustrated why public trust in congressional oversight continues to erode. Shortly after Hillary Clinton’s deposition began, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) shared an unauthorized photograph of the proceedings with conservative influencer Benny Johnson, who posted it to social media — a clear violation of committee rules. The deposition was paused while officials investigated the breach. Asked why she shared the photo, Boebert responded simply: “Why not?”

By the end of Hillary Clinton’s session, questioning had veered into UFOs and the Pizzagate conspiracy theory — a detail that stunned Democrats on the panel.

“I just think it’s unfortunate that we began asking her questions about UFOs and aliens. We have survivors that need answers and the truth. That’s where the focus should be.” — Rep. Robert Garcia

Meanwhile, Garcia pointed out that not a single Republican attended the previous week’s deposition of Les Wexner, the billionaire who was Epstein’s largest known financial backer.

What Both Sides Are Avoiding

The pattern is consistent across party lines. Republicans pursued the Clintons aggressively for months — issuing subpoenas in August 2025, threatening contempt of Congress, and ultimately compelling historic testimony. Yet the same committee has shown no comparable interest in deposing Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — who acknowledged visiting Epstein’s island — or addressing the DOJ’s handling of missing files.

Democrats, for their part, vocally supported compelling the Clintons’ testimony on a bipartisan basis but have focused their energy almost exclusively on demanding Trump’s testimony rather than pressing for answers from all individuals in the Epstein files regardless of party. Both parties voted to hold the Clintons in contempt when they refused to appear, yet the selective application of that standard reveals the investigation’s political fault lines.

One revelation from Bill Clinton’s testimony may complicate the picture further. Clinton voluntarily told lawmakers that Trump confided to him at a golf tournament in the early 2000s that he had a falling out with Epstein over a real estate deal — a detail that raises questions about the depth of Trump’s own relationship with the convicted sex offender.

If both parties agree Epstein’s victims deserve justice and full transparency, why does congressional accountability consistently stop at party lines — and what would a genuinely nonpartisan investigation actually look like?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from NPR, CNN, NBC News, Axios, CBS News, official records from the House Oversight Committee, reporting by The Hill, ABC News, TIME, PBS, The Daily Beast, and an investigative report by NPR on missing Epstein files.

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