What we covered here
• Deposition ends: Bill Clinton answered questions for more than six hours today as part of the House Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The deposition happened behind closed doors in Chappaqua, New York.
• His testimony: The former president told lawmakers he did not know or have sex with the woman who he was pictured with in a jacuzzi in files released by the Justice Department, sources told CNN. Clinton said in his opening statement that he “saw nothing” and “did nothing wrong” related to the disgraced financier.
• Epstein and the Clintons: The former president’s testimony comes a day after lawmakers interviewed Hillary Clinton for the House investigation. Read CNN’s review of what the Epstein files say about the Clintons.
• Calling on Trump: A top Oversight Democrat says the Clintons’ depositions should pave the way for President Donald Trump to testify, too. Trump said today that he doesn’t like seeing the former president deposed.
We’ve wrapped up our live coverage. Read a recap of today’s testimony here.
Bill Clinton doesn't take media questions, as Hillary Clinton did yesterday
Former President Bill Clinton did not address the press upon concluding his deposition like his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, did a day earlier.
Both Clintons testified behind closed doors for more than six hours. But after her deposition, Hillary Clinton came outside to talk to reporters about what happened and to answer questions. Bill Clinton left without a similar media availability.
Both Democrats and Republicans said the former president was very cooperative in the deposition.
Comer: “Justice was not served in Palm Beach when Epstein was arrested”
House Oversight Chairman James Comer said there is more work to be done in the panel’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Speaking to reporters, the Kentucky Republican vowed to seek justice for victims of Epstein’s abuse, calling the congressional inquiry “a serious investigation.”
Top Oversight Republican says committee will bring in more people for questioning
Asked by CNN if the House Oversight Committee plans to bring additional people in for questioning in the Jeffrey Epstein probe, the panel’s chairman said they would.
The Kentucky Republican said the panel asked the Clintons for their thoughts on other investigative avenues.
“We asked both Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton where we should go from here as a committee because we’re sincere about trying to get the truth of American people and hold some bad actors accountable,” he said.
Comer added later that the committee has two additional depositions already set.
“We will have further announcements of where we’re going with the investigation, but we have two more depositions already booked, one with Jeffrey Epstein’s accountant and one with Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyer,” he said.
Bill Clinton's deposition has ended
The House Oversight Committee has concluded it’s deposition with former President Bill Clinton.
Clinton was behind closed doors for more than six hours on Friday, answering questions under oath in the committee’s investigation into the late Jeffrey Epstein.
Bill Clinton shown numerous photos of him with women during deposition
During his closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee, former President Bill Clinton has been shown numerous photographs featuring him with women and asked whether he had sex with them, two sources with the testimony said.
Each time, Clinton said no. CNN previously reported that one of the photographs Clinton was asked about was an image of him in a jacuzzi with a woman whose face is redacted.
Clinton also told lawmakers that he remembers first meeting Epstein in 2002 when he took a trip on his plane, according to two sources.
Clinton told lawmakers Trump described a falling out with Epstein in early 2000s
Bill Clinton testified on Friday that Donald Trump told him in the early 2000s at a golf tournament that Trump had a falling out with Jeffrey Epstein over a land deal, three sources familiar with the testimony told CNN.
Trump said he was no longer friends with Epstein, Clinton recounted, according to those sources. It was the former president who volunteered his recollection of that conversation, one of the sources said.
Clinton has been behind closed doors for hours facing questions under oath from lawmakers in the House Oversight Committee’s Epstein probe.
Clinton said he did not have sex with woman in jacuzzi and doesn’t know who she is: sources
Bill Clinton told lawmakers during his deposition about Jeffrey Epstein on Friday that he did not know the woman with whom he was photographed in a jacuzzi, two sources familiar with the testimony tell CNN.
The former president was also asked if he had sex with the woman – and he said he did not, the sources said.
The Justice Department released the photograph of Clinton in a jacuzzi with the woman, whose face is redacted, as part of a tranche of Epstein case files it earlier made public. It stands as one of many instances of the former president appearing in the department’s Epstein files.
Hillary Clinton recently told BBC about the trip that the image came from: “It was one of the stops they made to look at philanthropic and charitable work that my husband has done, saving literally millions of lives around the world.”
Several hours into the former president’s deposition in Chappaqua, lawmakers have asked many specific questions about those appearances, including Clinton’s name appearing in Epstein’s flight logs and Epstein’s name appearing in Clinton’s White House visitors logs, for example, those sources said.
What we know about former President Bill Clinton's testimony so far
Former President Bill Clinton is testifying in Chappaqua, New York, to lawmakers from the House Oversight Committee as part of their Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The closed-door deposition, which is expected to continue this afternoon, comes a day after the committee interviewed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Here’s what we have learned so far:
- “I did nothing wrong”: In his opening statement, former President Clinton said he had a “brief acquaintance” with Epstein that ended years before his crimes became public. “I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong,” he said. Read Clinton’s full opening statement here.
- Clinton is cooperating: Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna told reporters the former president was cooperating with lawmakers as the deposition took place. The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Robert Garcia, said Clinton fielded “tough questions” from both parties in the probe.
- Public materials: Republican lawmakers are aiming to release video of the testimony within days, a source told CNN.
- Calling on Trump: Rep. Garcia also said the Clintons’ depositions set a precedent for President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump to testify under oath too. President Trump said today that he doesn’t like that former President Clinton was being deposed.
In other news: The University of California, San Diego, said bestselling author and wellness guru Deepak Chopra’s affiliation with the school will end in June and that his association with Epstein was “regrettable.” The move follows on the heels of CNN’s reporting about Chopra and Epstein’s close relationship.
CNN’s Meg Wagner, MJ Lee, Kit Maher, Annie Grayer, Nicky Robertson and Andrew Seger contributed to this report.
Top Oversight Democrat: "We have serious questions for President Trump”
The top Democrat on the House Oversight panel told reporters that Democrats have “serious questions” for President Donald Trump as the committee investigates Jeffrey Epstein.
Meanwhile, after Epstein revelations, UCSD says Chopra's role will end
Jeffrey Epstein had a closer friendship with best-selling author and wellness guru Deepak Chopra than was previously known, according to files released by the Justice Department. CNN reviewed hundreds of messages between the two men.
The University of California, San Diego said bestselling author and wellness guru Deepak Chopra’s association with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was “regrettable,” and that Chopra’s affiliation with the school will end in June, on the heels of CNN’s reporting about Chopra and Epstein’s close relationship.
“UC San Diego is aware that Deepak Chopra, MD, has been mentioned in files that were recently released by the Department of Justice. Dr. Chopra currently has a Voluntary Clinical Professor (without salary) appointment in the School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine with an expected job end date of 6/30/26,” the school told CNN. “While we are not able to comment further on personnel matters, the crimes Jeffrey Epstein committed were horrific, and any association with him is regrettable.”
CNN has asked UCSD whether Chopra is currently teaching at the school in his voluntary clinical professor role. CNN has also reached out to Chopra for comment.
The school’s comment came in response to CNN’s examination of hundreds of messages in the Justice Department’s Epstein files that Chopra and Epstein exchanged between 2016 and 2019 — the year that Epstein was arrested on federal charges of operating a sex-trafficking ring and of sexually abusing underage girls.
Chopra wrote on X earlier this month that he was “deeply saddened by the suffering of the victims in this case,” adding: “I was never involved in, nor did I participate in, any criminal or exploitative conduct. Any contact I had was limited and unrelated to abusive activity.”
The presence of a person’s name in the Epstein files is not indicative of wrongdoing. Approached recently and asked to comment about his relationship with Epstein, Chopra said: “No misconduct.”
Garcia disputes GOP characterization of Clinton's comments on Trump
Former President Bill Clinton told lawmakers during his deposition that it’s up to them to decide if President Donald Trump should be called to answer questions as part of the panel’s Jeffrey Epstein probe, Oversight Chairman James Comer told reporters – an assertion the panel’s top Democrat disputed.
Comer said, “I wanted to make a statement, because they’ll probably not mention this when they come out here. Ranking Member Garcia asked President Clinton, ‘should President Trump be called to answer questions from this committee?’ And President Clinton said that’s for you to decide. And the president went on to say that the President Trump has never said anything to me to make me think he was involved.”
But when CNN asked Rep. Robert Garcia, the panel’s ranking member, about Comer’s characterization of what he and Clinton said during the closed-door deposition, Garcia said, “I don’t think it’s a complete accurate description.”
“President Clinton did bring up some additional information about some discussions with President Trump. I think that the way Chairman Comer described it, I don’t think it’s a complete accurate description of what actually was said.”
Democrats say that Clinton has answered tough questions from lawmakers
The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee said lawmakers were thankful that former President Bill Clinton came in for questioning today and that he had fielded “tough questions” from both parties in their Jeffrey Epstein probe.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico told reporters that the eventual public release of the recorded deposition will show that hard questions were posed.
“You will see that we asked all of the hard questions, centering the survivors, making sure that we get to the bottom of where there are discrepancies in the record, and understanding how, not only the crimes that Jeffrey Epstein committed could go on, but why there was a culture that surrounded him, wherein the rich and powerful turned the blind eye on,” she said.
Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam added that the transcript of the deposition, once made public, will show Democrats “are treating this investigation in a nonpartisan way.
“We’ve been asking the former president the hard questions. To his credit, he has answered every single question, he’s not taking the Fifth Amendment. He’s been actually quite comfortable, and he’s actually given very long deliberate answers to all these questions,” he said.
Top Republican says questioning of Clinton will continue into the afternoon
House Oversight Chairman James Comer told reporters that both Republicans and Democrats have asked Bill Clinton questions under oath and the former president’s deposition will continue into the afternoon.
Clinton is answering questions behind closed doors in New York as part of the congressional panel’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Trump "doesn't like" seeing Bill Clinton deposed in Epstein probe
President Donald Trump said Friday that he doesn’t like how former President Bill Clinton is being deposed by the House Oversight Committee.
Asked by CNN’s Kristen Holmes about the former president sitting for questioning in the panel’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation, Trump said he likes Clinton and weighed in on how he feels he’s personally been treated.
Trump didn’t express great concern that the deposition of a former president would set a precedent for him and his family.
Trump later distanced himself from Epstein, adding, “I don’t know anything about the Epstein files, you know, I’ve been fully exonerated.”
Trump has long denied any wrongdoing related to the late convicted sex offender.
Luna says panel trying to learn if Epstein was part of "intelligence gathering operation"
GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna acknowledged that there has been “a bit of partisan smear” in the Oversight Committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein without getting specific, but said that the bigger picture is that the panel is trying to learn more about whether Epstein was part of an “intelligence gathering operation” that targeted presidents and people in power.
This is a line of questioning that Democrats have also said they plan to ask former President Bill Clinton.
“I do think that there is a bit of partisan smear attempts in this whole investigation but it’s important to note that Jeffrey Epstein does have all of the telltale signs of intelligence gathering operation. I think we all know that. I do believe that because of the people in power and influence specifically, presidents’ etc. that he was targeting, that there is an aspect of, you know, foreign governments, some of us against each other, using this topic,” Luna said.
GOP lawmaker: Clinton is cooperating and answering questions
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida told reporters amid Bill Clinton’s ongoing deposition that the former president was cooperating.
“President Clinton is cooperative and answering all of our questions,” Luna said.
Clinton is answering questions from lawmakers in the House Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey Epstein probe, but he has already said “I don’t recall” to at least some of them, according to a source familiar with the testimony.
The former president indicated in his opening statement that he may not remember some information given his interactions with Epstein were at least 20 years ago.
READ: Former President Bill Clinton's opening statement to the House Oversight Committee
Former President Bill Clinton released his opening statement, as prepared for delivery, in the House Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey Epstein probe. Read his full statement below.
Bill Clinton in deposition: "I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong"
Former President Bill Clinton said he only had a “brief acquaintance with [Jeffrey] Epstein” that ended “years before his crimes came to light” and that he never saw “what was truly going on” with the late convicted sex offender, according to his opening statement to lawmakers Friday morning in the House’s Jeffrey Epstein probe.
Clinton also said: “I know what I saw, and more importantly, what I didn’t see. I know what I did, and more importantly, what I didn’t do. I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong.”
Clinton previewed that he would “often” say “I don’t recall” on Friday, given how many years it has been since his interactions with Epstein, and he predicted that that would be “unsatisfying” to lawmakers.
Clinton also told the panel that it was “simply not right” to bring in his wife, Hillary Clinton, for a deposition the previous day.
Questioning of Bill Clinton is underway in congressional Epstein probe
Questioning of Bill Clinton has begun in the House Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey Epstein probe, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Clinton is sitting for the deposition in Chappaqua, New York, after months of back-and-forth with the panel over the terms of his appearance.
Former secretary of state and first lady Hillary Clinton was behind closed doors for questioning on Thursday for more than six hours.
