Washington, D.C., February 27 — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee she had no knowledge of criminal conduct by Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell and had “nothing to add” beyond a sworn declaration she filed on January 13.
Clinton released an opening statement on X dated February 26, 2026, before giving more than six hours of closed-door testimony in Chappaqua, New York, following prolonged legal disputes between the Clintons and the Republican-led committee. In the statement she wrote that the committee’s subpoena assumed she had information about investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, and she stated plainly, “Let me be as clear as I can. I do not.” She said she had no idea about their criminal activities, did not recall meeting Epstein, never flew on his plane and never visited his island, homes or offices.
During the testimony she expressed outrage at the scope of Epstein’s crimes and condemned the 2008 plea deal that she said allowed him to continue predatory conduct for another decade. Clinton also criticized the committee’s inquiry as partisan and lacking transparency, calling it “political theatre” and an “abdication of duty.”
She said eight law enforcement officials had been subpoenaed but only one appeared in person; others submitted brief statements. She added that the committee conducted no public hearings and denied media access. “This institutional failure is designed to protect one political party and one public official, rather than to seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors,” she said, adding that her “heart breaks for the survivors” and that she was “furious on their behalf.”
Clinton highlighted her record on anti-trafficking efforts, noting work that began as First Lady supporting the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and continued as secretary of state when she appointed former federal prosecutor Lou CdeBaca to lead global anti-trafficking efforts. She said her office oversaw nearly 170 programs in 70 countries and, in 2011, insisted the United States be included in the trafficking report for the first time.
She accused the Trump administration of weakening U.S. anti-trafficking priorities, calling that shift “a tragedy” and “a scandal” requiring oversight. She also criticized the committee for not subpoenaing President Donald Trump directly, saying, “If this Committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president; it would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files.”
Clinton closed by urging lawmakers to prioritize survivors over politics and to use their authority to find the truth and expand support for victims of Epstein and for people affected by sex trafficking more broadly.
CBS News reported that Clinton’s January 13 sworn declaration denied any “personal knowledge” of crimes by Epstein or Maxwell and said she never had responsibility for or involvement with Justice Department investigations or prosecutions related to them in public service or as a private citizen.
(This article is based on a syndicated feed and was published as received.)
