February 26, 2026, 8:10 p.mFebruary 26, 2026, 8:10 p.m
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton firmly denied any knowledge of crimes committed by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during questioning before the US Parliament. In her lengthy written opening statement shared on social media, she said she did not fly with Epstein or visit his private island or other properties. In general, she does not remember any specific encounters with the financial investor who died in custody in 2019 and cannot contribute any additional information to the investigation.
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified in court on Thursday regarding Jeffrey Epstein.Image: keystone
The questioning before an investigative committee of the US House of Representatives is part of a political investigation into Epstein’s abuse and sex trafficking network. It took place behind closed doors on Thursday in Chappaqua, a community in upstate New York where she lives with her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
The Clintons had previously refused to testify for months. The Republican-led committee chaired by James Comer then initiated contempt of Congress proceedings, after which the Clintons finally agreed to be interviewed in person. Democrats accuse Comer of conducting a politically motivated trial.
The fight against sex trafficking is not a “political slogan”
In her statement, Hillary Clinton detailed her longstanding commitment to combating human trafficking and sexual exploitation. As a senator and later as foreign minister, supporting international programs to combat sex trafficking and strengthening victim protection initiatives were the central focus of her work, not just a “political slogan”.
The government of US President Donald Trump, however, has taken steps backwards in protecting those affected. She accused the Republicans of wanting to distract from the handling of the so-called Epstein files with the current survey. The committee should instead push for the full publication of the documents.
Bill Clinton will be interviewed on Friday
Epstein ran an abuse ring for years that victimized dozens of young women and minors. The New York financier had excellent contacts in politics, business and high society at home and abroad. He died in a prison cell in 2019. His long-time confidante and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a prison sentence for sex trafficking. Before the questioning began, Comer emphasized that the Clintons were currently not accused of any wrongdoing. They want to clarify how Epstein gained influence and wealth and which networks protected him.
A photo from the Epstein files shows Bill Clinton with Kevin Spacey and Ghislaine Maxwell.Image: keystone
In November 2025, Trump signed a law passed by Congress to make the Epstein files public, after he had previously opposed release for a long time. The Republican repeatedly drew attention to Bill Clinton and claimed without evidence that he had visited Epstein’s private island. The Clintons reject this. Bill Clinton is also scheduled to testify behind closed doors on Friday.
Photo causes interruption
The questioning was briefly interrupted at the beginning after right-wing commentator Benny Johnson posted a photo from the room on social media. According to media reports, Clinton’s adviser Nick Merrill said that an investigation was being carried out into how the picture was leaked and whether house rules were violated.
The Ministry of Justice itself is also under pressure. Democratic lawmakers are investigating whether FBI interrogation protocols or other documents – including documents relating to allegations against Trump – were withheld as part of the publication of the millions of pages of files. The ministry denies this and said that only documents that were duplicate, privileged or related to ongoing investigations were not made public. If documents were incorrectly labeled by mistake, they would be published after checking. Trump denies any wrongdoing related to Epstein. (hkl/sda/dpa)