Hillary Clinton speaks to reporter the day she appeared for a deposition before the House Oversight Committee. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Hillary and Bill Clinton sat for depositions near their home in Chappaqua, N.Y., last week to answer questions about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Their depositions over roughly nine hours on Thursday and Friday were part of the Republican-led House Oversight Committee's investigation into the Epstein case. It marked the first time a former president and first lady spoke to a congressional committee under subpoena. The videos of Bill Clinton's testimony and Hillary Clinton's testimony were released by the panel Monday.
Here are some key moments from the depositions.
A major point of contention took place when Rep. Lauren Boebert (R., Colo.) took a photo of Hillary Clinton at the deposition and sent it to a MAGA influencer who posted it on X early in the hearing, in violation of the committee's rules.
"I'm done with this. If you guys are doing that, I am done," Clinton said, visibly frustrated. "You can hold me in contempt from now until the cows come home. This is just typical behavior."
Oversight Chair James Comer (R., Ky.) promised it wouldn't happen again. He "advised my members that no photos or videos during the deposition can be released."
Bill Clinton recalled seeing Trump during a charity golf tournament in New York organized by former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre in 2002 or 2003. Trump told Clinton he had heard that the former president had flown on Epstein's plane. "He said, you know we had some great times together over the years but we fell out all because of a real estate deal. And he said, 'I'm sorry it happened,' " Clinton said.
"The president...this is 20-something years ago, never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper with regard to Epstein, either. He just didn't," Clinton said. "He just said, 'we were friends, and then we had a falling-out over a land deal.' That's all."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said Trump did nothing wrong and that he kicked Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida for "being a creep." Trump has said that he stopped socializing with Epstein because Epstein had lured away some of his staff.
Throughout the deposition, Hillary Clinton firmly and repeatedly denied ever meeting Epstein or knowing anything about his crimes. After being asked half a dozen times in various ways if she had visited Epstein's properties, Clinton said she had had enough.
"I am so tired of answering that question," she said. "If you have one scintilla of evidence to the contrary, put it forward. I have never been on his island, period. I've never been in his homes, his offices, his anything."
Unfazed by her reply, the committee immediately followed up by asking if she had been to Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, his New Mexico ranch, his Palm Beach residence, or his Paris apartment, to which Clinton replied no.
One of the most contentious exchanges came over a question from Boebert, who asked whether there was any information in the Epstein files regarding Pizzagate.
The debunked conspiracy theory from a decade ago claimed there was a child-abuse ring tied to Clinton that was operating out of the basement of a Washington D.C. pizzeria. An armed believer in the theory later traveled to D.C. from North Carolina to the restaurant and was arrested after terrorizing patrons and firing a round in an effort to open a lock.
Clinton responded angrily. "Pizzagate was totally made up. It was an outrageous allegation that ended up hurting a number of people that caused a deranged young man to show up with his assault rifle and shoot up a local pizzeria," she said. "I can't believe you're even referencing it."
An exasperated Clinton remarked: "I mean I expected a lot of interesting questions today but Pizzagate was not on my list."
Rep. Nancy Mace (R., S.C.) questioned Clinton on how she knew Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and accused the former secretary of state of being "defiant and indignant." She brought up an email, released as part of the Epstein files, that showed Lutnick inviting Epstein to a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign at the Cantor Fitzgerald offices. Lutnick was the longtime CEO of Cantor.
The questioning devolved into a shouting match. "You want to yell at me, that's fine, but I'll yell right back OK," Mace said.
The Commerce Department has said that Lutnick and his wife met Epstein in 2005 and had very limited interactions with him over the next 14 years. The Commerce Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The former president told the committee that he became connected to Epstein early in his postpresidency by Larry Summers, who had served as Clinton's Treasury secretary.
Clinton said Summers told him around 2001 or 2002 that Epstein wanted to talk to Clinton about economics and politics and had a "massive airplane" and was willing to take Clinton, his staff and his Secret Service detail on trips Clinton was planning to help set up his foundation work.
In November, Summers said he felt deep shame for his associations with Epstein. He didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Clinton said he first learned of Epstein's crimes in 2008, telling the committee, "There's nothing that I saw when I was around him that made me realize he was trafficking women."
Epstein's ties to Bill Clinton go as far back as the early 1990s. In 1993, Epstein and Maxwell attended a donors' reception with then-President Clinton, and White House visitor logs show Epstein made several additional visits during this period. A decade later, Clinton flew repeatedly on Epstein's private plane for foundation work promoting global health, including a high-profile Africa trip in 2002 with actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker to tour HIV/AIDS project sites.
Bill Clinton was questioned about a photo that surfaced in the Epstein investigative files showing him in a hot tub with an unidentified person. Clinton said he didn't recall the picture being taken, but said he thought it was at a hotel in Brunei, where he and his traveling party were staying. He said he didn't recall who the other person in the photo was. In response to a question about whether he had engaged in any sexual activities, he said no.
The former president was asked about receiving a massage or a back rub from a young woman traveling on Epstein’s plane during a 2002 trip to Africa. “You’ve seen the pictures,” he said. “There was one time when I was sitting up and got a back rub; neck work.”
During his deposition, Bill Clinton displayed his well-known Southern charm through moments of banter with the committee and self-deprecation.
When asked by Mace how an Ivy League graduate like himself could be "duped" by Epstein, like he claimed he was, Clinton leaned in to his Arkansas roots. "I would like to say since you made a great deal out of all this Ivy League stuff, I am also the last president ever to live in a place without indoor plumbing," he said.
When Rep. Maxwell Frost (D., Fla.), who is 29 years old and was born during Bill Clinton’s second term, noted that he was the youngest member of Congress, the ex-president offered reflective advice about getting older.
"Lucky you. Hopefully that changes soon," he said. "Believe me, I was for most of my life the youngest person doing whatever I was doing. And one day I woke up I was the oldest man in every room. And I couldn't tell you for the life of me how I got from one place to another. Time will take care of it. Enjoy it while it lasts."
Bill Clinton was asked about a book of letters compiled for Epstein's 50th birthday, which included a submission from him. Asked why he wrote the letter, he responded: “I was requested to contribute a nice letter for his birthday book.” He said he didn’t remember who asked him to do so, but said he thought the request came through a member of his staff.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported on the letter, but was unable to decipher one of the words. Bill Clinton was asked during the deposition to supply the missing word -- it was "errors," he said. The full letter reads: "It's reassuring isn't it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and errors, and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends."
"Not a bad letter," Clinton quipped. Asked whether "errors" was a reference to inappropriate activity, Clinton said it wasn't.