Former President Bill Clinton denied having any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and pushed back on allegations tied to a widely circulated image of him in a jacuzzi during a historic deposition before the House Oversight Committee.
Under more than six hours of questioning, Clinton said he “had no idea” about Epstein’s criminal activity during what he described as their “brief acquaintance,” according to CNN.
“I know what I saw, and more importantly, what I didn’t see. I know what I did, and more importantly, what I didn’t do,” Clinton said in an opening statement. “I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong.”
But that still didn’t stop lawmakers from pressing Clinton about materials the Justice Department has made public as part of its investigation into Epstein.
“In one instance, Clinton said he did not know a woman with whom he was photographed in a jacuzzi – an image that was widely circulated after it was earlier made public by the Justice Department,” CNN reported Friday. “Asked whether he had sex with the woman, whose face was redacted in the image, the former president said he did not, according to two sources familiar with his testimony.”
Clinton was also peppered with questions about his name appearing in Epstein’s flight logs and Epstein’s presence in White House visitor logs. He also voluntarily recalled that President Donald Trump once told him in the early 2000s that he had a falling out with Epstein over a land deal, CNN said.
Both Clinton and Trump have denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein. Clinton did not address reporters Friday afternoon after being forced to testify before the Republican-led House committee, as his wife, Hillary Clinton, had done the day before. The former president was said to be cooperative and did not invoke the Fifth Amendment in his remarks.