Hillary Clinton deposition paused as Bill Clinton prepares for rare congressional testimony
The House Oversight Committee paused the closed-door deposition of hillary clinton after a lawmaker shared a photo from the proceeding, a development that comes a day before former President Bill Clinton is set to face questions about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The two depositions are unfolding amid a trove of files, photos and sworn declarations that lawmakers say bear on the Epstein probe.
Hillary Clinton deposition halted after photo was shared
The deposition of Hillary Clinton was paused after Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert sent a photo of the closed-door proceeding to a conservative influencer. Right-wing influencer Benny Johnson posted a photo of Clinton at the deposition online and said Boebert had provided it. Committee rules do not allow outside press or photographers to take photos of the proceedings, and the deposition is being recorded on video; Committee Chair James Comer has said the video will only be released after Clinton's attorneys have a chance to review it.
Boebert, R-Colo., was defiant as she left the closed-door deposition for Hillary Clinton. When asked why she had shared the photo, Boebert responded, "Why not?" She also sarcastically said she admired Clinton's blue suit and wanted to show it to everyone.
Vehicles arrive at Chappaqua Performing Arts Center for Hillary Clinton’s appearance
Vehicles of the motorcade believed to be carrying former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center on the day she appeared for a deposition in the House Oversight Committee investigation of late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in Chappaqua, New York, on Feb. 26, 2026. The deposition that day lasted around six hours, and Bill Clinton is slated to be deposed one day after that session.
Bill Clinton set to be deposed Friday in Chappaqua; Comer expects a long session
Former President Bill Clinton is set to face questions Friday from members of the Republican-led House Oversight Committee about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. He will be deposed in a closed-door setting one day after the committee questioned his wife for around six hours. Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said Thursday that he expected the former president's deposition to take "even longer. " The meeting is taking place in Chappaqua, New York, where the Clintons have a house.
Sworn declarations, travel and denials in the record
The Clintons told the committee in sworn declarations last month that they had "no personal knowledge" of any "criminal activities" by Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell. Hillary Clinton has said she has no recollection of ever having met Epstein. Bill Clinton has acknowledged he flew on Epstein's plane in 2002 and 2003 while he was traveling internationally for the Clinton Foundation; in his declaration, Bill Clinton said Epstein "offered a plane that was big enough to accommodate me, my staff and my U. S. Secret Service detail, in support of visiting the Foundation's philanthropic work. "
Bill Clinton's declaration also said, "I do not recall speaking to Mr. Epstein for more than a decade prior to his 2019 arrest. " While President Donald Trump has accused him of having taken dozens of trips to Epstein's island in the Caribbean, Bill Clinton said in his declaration that he was never there. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said last year that Trump "was wrong about that. " Emails by Epstein that the Justice Department released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act also indicated that Bill Clinton did not go to the island, and Maxwell said in an interview with a top Justice Department official last year that he had never been there.
Photos, convictions and legal history tied to the probe
Files related to the Epstein probes released to date include numerous pictures of Bill Clinton with Epstein and Maxwell. In some of the photos, Bill Clinton is shown in a hot tub, swimming in a pool with Maxwell and sitting at a table with a woman sitting on his leg. The pictures are undated, and it is unclear where they were taken. None suggest any wrongdoing.
Those records sit alongside long-standing legal outcomes in the Epstein saga: Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to state charges of soliciting a minor, and he died in jail while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking charges in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Subpoenas, contempt threats and the rarity of presidential testimony
The Oversight Committee in August subpoenaed the Clintons and several former top Justice Department officials to testify about Epstein. After months of back-and-forth, the former first couple agreed to testify as the House was moving toward voting on contempt resolutions for them.
It is very rare for a sitting or former president to appear before members of Congress. The last to do so was former President Gerald R. Ford in 1983, when he testified before a Senate subcommittee about planning for the bicentennial of the Constitution. Ford also answered questions from Congress as president, appearing before a House subcommittee in 1974 to testify about his pardon of Richard M. Nixon. Separately, a Democratic-led House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol subpoenaed Trump to testify in 2022; Trump challenged the subpoena.
