A Republican-led House panel grilled Hillary Clinton Thursday about her possible ties to Jeffrey Epstein. She confirmed in her statement that she "had no information." Meanwhile, the former candidate for the US presidential race called on this committee to interrogate President Donald Trump about this historical scandal. The House Oversight Committee is conducting an investigation into those who were connected to Epstein, who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial.

Published on: 02/26/2026 - 21:07

Hillary Clinton said Thursday before a Republican-led House of Representatives committee that she does not have any information about Epstein’s crimes and does not mention that she met him, nor did she visit his island or travel on his plane, accusing the committee of trying to “protect one official,” which is the Republican president, in reference to Trump.

"The purpose of the entire investigation is to try to understand many things about Epstein," said James Comer, chairman of the committee that will also question former President Bill Clinton on Friday.

Clinton challenged the committee, saying, "If this committee were serious about getting to the bottom of Epstein's human trafficking crimes... it would ask (Trump) directly, under oath, about the tens of thousands of times his name appears in Epstein's files."

Read also: Democrats accuse the Trump administration of “the largest government cover-up” in the Epstein case

In turn, Robert Garcia, the most prominent Democratic member of the committee, called on Trump to testify "to answer the questions asked by survivors across the country."

The House Oversight Committee is conducting an investigation into those who were connected to Epstein, who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial.

Former President Clinton and his wife initially refused subpoenas to testify in the investigation. But they eventually agreed to do so after House Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress.

"I have no information"

Hillary Clinton said at the beginning of her testimony that the committee "justified its summoning of me based on its assumption that I had information related to the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and (his arrested partner) Ghilaine Maxwell."

"Let me be as clear as possible. I have no (information)," she added.

Democrats say the investigation is being used as a weapon to attack political opponents of Trump, who had ties to Epstein, rather than as an oversight measure.

Trump and Bill Clinton, both 79, were named in a recently released trove of government documents related to Epstein. But they confirmed that they had severed their relationship with the financier before his conviction in Florida in 2008 for sex crimes.

Read also: Among them is the next Queen of Norway... New personalities appear in newly published documents about Epstein’s sexual case

The mere appearance of a person's name in these documents is not evidence of his having committed a crime. Bill and Hillary Clinton requested that their testimonies be public, but the committee insisted on questioning them behind closed doors, in a move that the former president considered “politicization.”

The hearings are being held in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons reside. The Secret Service, which is charged with protecting presidents and dignitaries in the United States, set up metal barriers around the Arts Center where the session is being held.

Bill Clinton acknowledged that he traveled on Epstein's plane several times in the early 2000s for humanitarian work related to the Clinton Foundation, but denied visiting Epstein's private island in the Caribbean.

Trump and Bill Clinton 'innocent of any wrongdoing'

Maxwell (64 years old) remains the only person to have been convicted of a crime related to the late financier. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.

Maxwell appeared via video technology before the House Oversight Committee earlier this month, but she refused to answer any questions, and used her right not to incriminate herself, which is guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution.

Her lawyer, David Marcus, said his client would be willing to speak publicly if she received a presidential pardon from Trump.

The lawyer stressed that Trump and Bill Clinton are “innocent of any wrongdoing,” noting that “only Ms. Maxwell can explain the reason, and the public has the right to know this clarification.”

France 24/AFP

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