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, drawing widespread 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 of Representatives’ oversight committee in New York, according to BBC News. He and his wife had long resisted calls to testify before a congressional committee, dismissing them as a Republican plot.
Bill Clinton on controversial “hot tub photo”
Bill Clinton’s testimony followed Hillary Clinton’s deposition the day before at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center and focused heavily 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 a separate photo showing him with his arm around a woman’s waist while she sat on his seat. Lawmakers also raised a hot tub image of Clinton alongside a woman, asking about her identity and their relationship.
“We are only here because he hid it from everyone”
Clinton denied having sexual relations with the woman and said he did not know who she was. 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 criminal activity contributed to how long he avoided accountability.
“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 went on: “This was all a long time ago. And I am bound by my oath not to speculate, or to guess. This is not merely 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 start, I have to get personal. 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.
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