Bill Clinton Tells Congress Trump 'Never Said Anything' to Suggest Epstein Ties

Bill Clinton told members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee during his closed-door deposition on Friday that Donald Trump 'never said anything' to suggest the sitting president had any involvement with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The disclosure, relayed by Committee Chair James Comer following a break in proceedings, has done little to quiet Democratic demands that Trump himself be placed under oath.

Comer, a Kentucky Republican, told reporters that Clinton had deflected when pressed on whether Trump should be compelled to testify, telling the panel it was 'for you to decide.' The chair added that he found Clinton's remark noteworthy, saying: 'I know there's a lot of curiosity about President Trump.'

A Room Divided

The bipartisan friction broke into open view almost immediately. Representative Robert Garcia of California, the committee's top Democrat, held a separate press conference during the break and disputed Comer's account of the session, saying the chair's remarks were 'not an accurate description' of what Clinton had said behind closed doors. Garcia declined to elaborate, accusing Republicans of violating committee rules by disclosing details of the proceedings.

Representative Maxwell Frost of Florida said the deposition had left him with 'new questions' about Trump's reported falling out with Epstein. Trump has maintained publicly that the two men parted ways well before Epstein's 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges and that he had no involvement in Epstein's criminal activities. The precise timeline of when the relationship ended has shifted in various accounts, with explanations ranging from a dispute over staff poaching to Epstein behaving inappropriately toward a club member's daughter. Trump has not been charged with any crime in connection with the case.

What the Clintons Said

Clinton has long maintained that while he was an acquaintance of Epstein's, he cut off all contact at least a decade before the 2019 arrest. Hillary Clinton, who appeared before the same committee on Thursday, testified that she had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his crimes or those of his close associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Neither of the Clintons has been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the investigation.

Democrats have continued to press for Trump's direct testimony, pointing to his well-documented social ties with Epstein during the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump is mentioned more than 1,000 times across the 3 million Epstein documents released in January 2026, with references spanning unverified allegations as well as details about how some of Epstein's victims described their encounters with the future president. The Justice Department stated at the time that the allegations against Trump contained in the documents were unverified. Garcia reiterated after Friday's session that the committee should issue Trump a subpoena, a move that would require a committee vote and would likely face significant legal challenge.

The House Oversight Committee's Epstein investigation remains one of the most politically charged congressional probes in recent memory, touching the reputations of the Clintons alongside a sitting president. Friday's session made clear that even what was said behind closed doors is now itself a matter of fierce public dispute, with Republicans and Democrats offering sharply different accounts of the same testimony. Whether Trump is ultimately subpoenaed could define the credibility and political weight of the entire investigation going forward.