Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a fiery rebuke to House Republicans on Thursday, February 26, 2026, during closed-door testimony about Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, accusing lawmakers of weaponizing the investigation to protect President Donald Trump while simultaneously demanding he testify under oath about his own connections to the convicted sex offender.
The House Oversight Committee questioned Clinton at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center in Chappaqua, New York, after Republicans subpoenaed her and threatened contempt charges when she resisted appearing in person. The deposition, which stretched for hours, was briefly paused after conservative influencer Benny Johnson posted a photo from inside the closed-door session that Representative Lauren Boebert shared with him—a clear violation of House rules.
In her opening statement, which she released on social media, Clinton denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities and said she could not recall ever meeting him. She never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes, or offices, she declared. But she saved her sharpest criticism for what she characterized as a Republican coverup operation designed to shield the current president.
“You have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract attention from President Trump’s actions and to cover them up,” Clinton said.
Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the panel, amplified Clinton’s criticism by calling on Republicans to apply the same standard to the current president. The California congressman told reporters that the committee had set a new precedent for deposing presidents and former presidents—and demanded that Trump testify immediately given his documented appearances throughout the Epstein files.
The hearing comes amid intense scrutiny of the government’s handling of the Epstein case. The Department of Justice published nearly 3.5 million pages of documents related to Epstein on January 30, following the Epstein Files Transparency Act that President Trump signed on November 19, 2025, which required all investigative files to be released within 30 days. Critics have accused the administration of withholding additional documents, with recent NPR reporting revealing that files related to allegations against Trump were removed from the public release.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer questioned whether the administration was engaged in a deliberate coverup. “What is Pam Bondi trying to hide?” Schumer demanded from the Senate floor, calling the slow, incomplete release a violation of federal law.
Epstein, a wealthy financier who cultivated relationships with powerful figures across politics and business, died by apparent suicide in a New York jail cell on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He had previously served only 13 months of an 18-month sentence in 2008 after pleading guilty to state charges in Florida for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
His associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in 2021 and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking at a federal prison camp in Texas, though she continues to argue she was wrongfully convicted. Maxwell attended Chelsea Clinton’s 2010 wedding, and Hillary Clinton acknowledged in a recent BBC interview that she had interacted with Maxwell at Clinton Foundation conferences but had no knowledge of any criminal activities.
Republican Representative Scott Perry defended the committee’s decision to compel the Clintons’ testimony, pointing to the former president’s documented flights with Epstein and Hillary Clinton’s work as secretary of state addressing sex trafficking issues. Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify on Friday—marking the first time a former president has been compelled to testify before Congress.
Bill Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein, though photos of him with women whose faces were redacted appeared in the initial document release. The Clintons have maintained they provided all relevant information and repeatedly requested a public hearing rather than closed-door depositions.
Garcia confirmed to reporters that Clinton answered every question during the deposition without invoking Fifth Amendment protections. He called for the committee to release the full transcript within 24 hours and criticized the photo leak as a clear violation of committee rules.
The political battle over the Epstein investigation has fractured traditional party lines. Several Democratic lawmakers joined Republicans last month in advancing contempt charges against the Clintons, with many saying they owed no loyalty to the former leaders of their party and prioritized transparency for survivors of Epstein’s crimes. Nine Democrats voted to hold Bill Clinton in contempt, while three voted to hold Hillary Clinton in contempt.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi struck a measured tone amid the controversy. “We want to hear from everyone,” she said, adding a simple directive: “believe survivors.”
The investigation marks the first time Congress has compelled a former president to testify, setting a significant precedent that Democrats now argue should extend to President Trump given his documented appearances throughout the Epstein files. Trump has not been charged in relation to Epstein and has denied any wrongdoing.
