Former President Bill Clinton addressed the controversial “hot tub photo” from the Epstein files for the first time during a closed-door deposition on Friday.
On January 20, the U.S. Department of Justice released more than three million pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, attracting widespread public attention. Epstein was a convicted sex offender who died in a New York prison cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Former President Bill Clinton, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, testified for six hours on Friday before the House Oversight Committee in New York, according to BBC News. He and his wife had long resisted calls to testify before Congress, dismissing them as a politically motivated effort by Republicans.
Bill Clinton on the controversial “hot tub photo”
Bill Clinton’s testimony followed Hillary Clinton’s deposition the previous day at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center and focused largely on Clinton’s past association with Epstein.
“I had no idea about their [Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s] criminal activities,” Hillary Clinton said, according to BBC News. “I never flew on his plane or visited his islands, homes, or offices. I have nothing to add.”
Images discussed during Bill Clinton’s testimony included photographs of him swimming with Ghislaine Maxwell and an unidentified woman, as well as another photo showing him with his arm around a woman’s waist while she sat in his seat. Lawmakers also raised a hot tub image showing Clinton with a woman and asked about her identity and relationship with him.
“We are only here because he hid it from everyone”
Clinton denied having sexual relations with the woman and said he did not know her identity. Addressing broader speculation, he told the committee: “I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong. Even with 20/20 hindsight, I saw nothing that gave me pause,” according to VT.
Clinton said Epstein’s ability to conceal his criminal activities helped him avoid accountability for a long time.
“We are only here because he hid it from everyone so well for so long. And by the time it came to light with his 2008 guilty plea, I had long stopped associating with him,” Clinton said.
He added: “This was all a long time ago. And I am bound by my oath not to speculate or guess. This is not just for my benefit, but because it doesn’t help you for me to play detective 24 years later.”
Addressing Hillary Clinton’s testimony, he said: “But before we begin, I have to speak personally. You made Hillary come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein — nothing. Whether you subpoenaed 10 people or 10,000, including her was simply not right.”
He reiterated that she had no connection to Epstein.
