Hillary Clinton ripped House Republicans after a six-hour closed-door testimony the Jeffrey Epstein probe, accusing them of running partisan “fishing expeditions.”
The former secretary of state emerged from the House Oversight Committee deposition in Chappaqua, New York, and told reporters she repeated herself “literally over and over again.”
“I don’t know how many times I had to say I didn’t know Jeffrey Epstein,” Clinton said, arguing the panel forced her to testify despite having no useful information.
Clinton faulted Republicans for holding the session behind closed doors instead of in public view. She insisted they could have questioned her openly and chose not to.
Hillary Clinton: "I just finished testifying. I answered every one of their questions as fully as I could…I never met Jeffrey Epstein, never had any connection or communication with him…I knew Ghislaine Maxwell casually, as an acquaintance…" pic.twitter.com/q1An5XIjlN
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 26, 2026
“They had a chance to do it in public, and I wish they had done it in public. And I think they’re making the wrong decision, avoiding doing it in public,” she told reporters after the session wrapped.
In her opening statement, later posted to X, Clinton accused Republicans of using her testimony to deflect scrutiny from President Donald Trump.
“[Y]ou have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract attention from President [Donald] Trump’s actions and cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers,” she stated.
She then turned the focus back on the president and urged the committee to question him directly.
“If this committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement; it would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files,” she added.
Clinton said the deposition veered into what she described as bizarre territory toward the end.
“It then got, at the end, quite unusual because I started being asked about UFOs and a series of questions about Pizzagate, one of the most vile, bogus conspiracy theories that was propagated on the internet that was serving as the basis of a member’s questions to me,” she said.
She also criticized Republican members for not attending former Victoria’s Secret CEO Leslie Wexner’s deposition in person.
Clinton did single out Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer for posing what she described as serious questions.
She credited him “for raising a series of significant questions that I responded to about the nature of the investigation and the areas that I thought should be explored.”
“So, I appreciated that. I want to see the truth come out. So, that was a reassuring way to end a very long, repetitive, deposition,” she added.
🚨 VENEZUELAN DICTATOR NICOLAS MADURO IN U.S. CUSTODY 🚨 Do you AGREE Trump made America STRONG again??? ➡️➡️➡️ TAKE THE FREEDOM POLL NOW and stand with President Trump!!!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Comer offered a measured assessment after the interview concluded.
He told reporters Clinton “answered most of our questions” in a “productive” session but acknowledged Republicans “weren’t satisfied” with the results.
“The number of times that she said, ‘I don’t know, you’ll have to ask my husband,’ was more than a dozen,” Comer noted.
Clinton reiterated that she did not know Epstein and maintained she only knew Ghislaine Maxwell “as an acquaintance.”
She said she had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct and denied ever visiting his properties or flying on his plane.
“I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island home or offices,” she stated in her written remarks.
When asked why Maxwell attended Chelsea Clinton’s wedding, Clinton responded that Maxwell came as a “plus-one of someone invited.”
Secretary Clinton gave us plenty to work with today. So generous, in fact, that she gave us plenty of ammunition heading into tomorrow's deposition with her husband. I got three rounds with her today, and I'm just getting warmed up.
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) February 27, 2026
Republicans on the panel framed the deposition as productive and signaled more scrutiny ahead. Rep. Nancy Mace wrote on X that Clinton “gave us plenty to work with today.”
“So generous, in fact, that she gave us plenty of ammunition heading into tomorrow’s deposition with her husband,” Mace added.
“I got three rounds with her today, and I’m just getting warmed up.”
Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to appear behind closed doors at 11 a.m. Friday. Comer predicted his session would be even longer.
The tense atmosphere spilled into disputes over committee rules. Clinton accused Republicans of breaching agreements after Rep. Lauren Boebert allegedly shared a photo from inside the deposition room with a right-wing influencer.
🚨BREAKING: The first image of Hillary Clinton testifying under oath about Jeffery Epstein to the Republican Oversight Committee.
This is the first time Hillary has had to answer real questions about Epstein. Clinton does not look happy.
Photo provided by Rep. Lauren Boebert. pic.twitter.com/mPtUyA4u5i
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 26, 2026
“We had a bit of a challenge in the beginning because we agreed upon rules based on the fact it was going to be a closed hearing at their demand. And one of the members violated that rule, which was very upsetting because it suggested that they might violate other of our agreements,” Clinton said.
“So, we had to cease the hearing for a period of time until we could get assurances that no rules would be broken going forward.”
Oversight Democrats echoed that complaint. Ranking member Robert Garcia called it “unacceptable” that Republicans broke “their own committee rules that they established with the Secretary and her team.”
Rep. Yassamin Ansari labeled the session “an incredibly unserious clown show of a deposition” and accused Republicans of chasing photo opportunities instead of facts.
Boebert brushed off criticism and referenced the FBI’s probe into Clinton’s private email server.
“I just returned to my hotel room and installed the BleachBit software … So, I guess in regards to taking photos, I do not recall,” Boebert quipped.
Q: "Can you talk to us about why you sent that picture?"@RepBoebert: “I just returned to my hotel room and installed the BleachBit software…So, I guess in regards to taking photos, I do not recall.” pic.twitter.com/A8WctEnaAQ
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 26, 2026
The deposition unfolded as Republican senators pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department to release all Epstein-related files that mention President Trump’s name.
Lawmakers cited media reports that some records tied to a woman’s 2019 allegations involving Epstein and Trump may not have been released.
Sen. John Kennedy urged immediate transparency. “Release the documents. Redact the names of the victims. Don’t release photographs, naked or otherwise, of minors. Release the documents. This is not going to go away until there is full disclosure,” Kennedy said.
Asked whether unverified allegations should be withheld, Kennedy replied, “I don’t know how else to say it: Release the documents.”
He added that the Justice Department should act in “good faith” while pursuing maximum transparency.
“This is not going away until there’s full disclosure and the American people want to know, and they’re entitled to know, who if anyone, did Epstein traffic these women to … and why they weren’t prosecuted,” Kennedy said.
Sen. Thom Tillis warned it would be “concerning” if files mentioning Trump were withheld unless they met the same standards applied to other names.
“If it’s in fact true, it’s concerning. Unless it fits the same filter as everyone else…,” Tillis said. “I’ve heard the reporting but I haven’t nailed it down.”
