The Hillary Clinton Epstein deposition moved forward Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, with the former secretary of state appearing under oath in a closed-door session requested by the House Oversight Committee.
The deposition took place in Chappaqua, New York, after the Clintons agreed to in-person questioning to avoid a looming contempt of Congress vote.
Hillary Clinton’s testimony is the first of two depositions involving the Clintons. Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. Committee leaders have said the sessions are being recorded and that transcripts, and potentially video, will be released after review.
Why the Clintons Agreed to Closed-Door Testimony
The appearances follow months of negotiations and procedural escalation between the Clintons and the Republican-led committee. The panel had subpoenaed both Clintons, then advanced steps toward holding them in criminal contempt after they did not appear as demanded. Hillary and Bill Clinton ultimately agreed to testify behind closed doors as the House was nearing action on the contempt recommendation.
Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has publicly rejected the Clintons’ push to make the questioning open to cameras and a live audience, though he has left open the possibility of a later public hearing. Committee aides have said members from both parties planned to attend the depositions in Chappaqua.
Comer has also emphasized a key point before the depositions began: the committee is not accusing the Clintons of wrongdoing. In remarks reported by the AP, Comer told reporters that “no one’s accusing at this moment the Clintons of any wrongdoing,” while arguing the depositions are necessary to answer outstanding questions about Epstein’s operation and influence.
What the Hillary Clinton Epstein Deposition Covers
The Oversight Committee says its inquiry is aimed at understanding how Epstein accumulated wealth, built access to powerful people, and maintained influence despite years of scrutiny. In public comments and background explanations of the investigation, members have also raised questions about possible ties to foreign governments and whether Epstein may have functioned as an asset for any government.
Those aims sit alongside a second track that has drawn bipartisan interest: the federal government’s past handling of Epstein-related investigations and charging decisions. The committee has signaled that it wants a clearer record of how Epstein avoided broader consequences for years, including questions about why federal authorities did not pursue additional charges after his 2008 plea deal in Florida on state charges tied to soliciting an underage girl.
Democrats on the committee have largely framed their involvement around transparency and survivor-focused accountability, rather than protection of party figures. Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the panel, has said he wants answers about Epstein’s potential foreign-government connections. That stance has contributed to bipartisan cooperation on certain procedural steps, including the pressure campaign that brought the Clintons to the table for depositions.
For readers tracking the committee’s document releases and investigative posture, the panel’s own updates, including announcements on the Clinton depositions, are posted through the official House Oversight site in a running set of releases and statements, including the committee’s notice that the Clintons agreed to appear for transcribed, recorded sessions.
What Hillary Clinton Has Said Under Oath and in Public
Before Thursday’s deposition, Hillary Clinton submitted a sworn declaration dated Jan. 13, 2026, saying she had no personal knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and had no role in, or responsibility for, Justice Department investigations and prosecutions involving Epstein or his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. She also said she does not recall encountering Epstein or having specific interactions with him.
Clinton has said she met Maxwell on a few occasions through Clinton Foundation-related settings. Maxwell is serving a prison sentence for sex trafficking crimes. Clinton’s public posture has been that her information about Epstein is limited and unrelated to the criminal conduct at the center of the case.
In a separate public argument about the committee’s tactics, Clinton has criticized the insistence on in-person, closed-door depositions, describing it as politically motivated. She has also pointed to President Trump’s past social ties with Epstein while Trump has denied wrongdoing related to Epstein. Reuters has reported that Clinton accused the committee of using the hearings to shift attention away from Trump’s connections, while the committee says its focus is mapping Epstein’s network and the systems that enabled it.
A practical reality is that closed-door depositions often produce a fuller record than public hearings, but they also reduce real-time visibility. That tradeoff is part of why the committee’s promise to release transcripts, and potentially video, matters to both supporters and critics of the process.
