Politics'I Did Nothing Wrong': Bill Clinton Insists He Would've Turned Jeffrey Epstein in Himself If He Had 'Any Inkling' of His Crimes
Bill Clinton was friends with Jeffrey Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Feb. 27 2026, Published 2:23 p.m. ET
Bill Clinton said he would have alerted police himself about Jeffrey Epstein's crimes had he been aware of the late child predator and his convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell's infamous trafficking scheme during their friendship years ago.
While appearing before members of Congress on Friday, February 27, the former president once again denied any wrongdoing involving his past relationship with Epstein — which occurred during the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the disgraced financier had yet to be convicted of any crimes.
Clinton, the first former or sitting president to testify before Congress in more than 40 years, was questioned under oath by House Republicans about Epstein's fundraising, the late pedophile's numerous visits to the White House and the bombshell photos of the Democratic politician included in the Department of Justice's Epstein file release.
'I Saw Nothing'
Bill Clinton said he knew 'nothing' about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's trafficking scheme.
In his opening statement, which was also shared to X, the 79-year-old insisted he "had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing," declaring: "No matter how many photos you show me, I have two things that at the end of the day matter more than your interpretation of those 20-year-old photos."
"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," he continued. "I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong."
Bill Clinton dismissed the '20-year-old photos' of him from the Epstein files.
Clinton added, "As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing – I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes, not sweetheart deals."
Elsewhere in his opening statement, Clinton claimed that "even with 20/20 hindsight, he “saw nothing that ever gave me a pause."
"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 pointed out.
- Photos of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at White House Contradict Hillary Clinton's Testimony
- Megyn Kelly Exposes Decades-Old Photo of Bill Clinton 'Looking Down the Chest' of Her Friend Moments Before Epstein Testimony: 'Hound Dog Behavior'
- Kaitlan Collins Shades Donald Trump's Allies for 'Showing Up' to Hillary Clinton's Deposition But Not to Jeffrey Epstein's Pal Les Wexner's
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Bill Clinton said he stopped being friends with Jeffrey Epstein long before he was convicted of any crimes.
A bit of sarcasm shined through Clinton's remarks, as he stated, "Since I am under oath, I will not falsely state that I am looking forward to your questions."
He went on, "But I am ready to answer them to the best of my abilities, consistent with the facts as I know them: the legitimate, the logical, and even the outlandish."
Bill Clinton Slams Congress for Making Wife Hillary Testify
Bill Clinton ridiculed the House Oversight Committee for making his wife, Hillary, testify.
The former POTUS also used his opening statement to defend his wife, Hillary, who was called to testify before Congress about Epstein on Thursday, February 26.
"Before we start, I have to get personal. You made Hillary come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing. She has no memory of even meeting him. She neither traveled with him nor visited any of his properties. Whether you subpoenaed 10 people or 10,000, including her was simply not right," he said.
