Hillary Clinton, under oath before the House Oversight Committee in Chappaqua, forcefully denied knowing Jeffrey Epstein or having any awareness of his crimes, opening two days of extraordinary depositions that also include former President Bill Clinton.

“I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein,” she said in an opening statement released publicly, adding that, “like every decent person, I have been horrified by what we have learned about their crimes.”

The session, which stretched more than six hours behind closed doors, marked a rare moment in which a former secretary of state and a former first lady was pressed in detail about her proximity to one of the most notorious sex offenders in modern American history. Republicans on the panel, led by Chair James Comer of Kentucky, have framed the inquiry as a search for answers about how Epstein operated for so long with such powerful friends.

Clinton acknowledged that her husband had flown with Epstein on trips he has described as related to charitable work, but she reiterated that she does not remember ever meeting Epstein herself. She confirmed that she had encountered Ghislaine Maxwell at Clinton Foundation conferences and that Maxwell attended Chelsea Clinton’s 2010 wedding, but insisted Maxwell was merely “an acquaintance” and a guest of someone else.

For Republicans, Bill Clinton remains a central focus. Recently released Justice Department files included photographs of the former president with unidentified women, fueling demands from conservatives for deeper scrutiny, even as no charges or formal accusations have been brought against him in connection with Epstein.

Democrats on the committee have largely embraced transparency rather than circling the wagons around the Clintons. Several joined Republicans in advancing contempt threats that helped force the depositions, and the minority’s top member, Representative Robert Garcia, has called for the full video and transcript to be released.

The hearing briefly descended into controversy when Representative Lauren Boebert sent a photo from inside the secure deposition to a conservative influencer, prompting a pause in the proceedings and fresh Democratic complaints that the investigation is being used as political theater.

Clinton, for her part, accused Comer of running a “one-sided investigation” that ignores Donald Trump and other Republicans with documented ties to Epstein. She said some questioning veered into “vile, bogus conspiracy theories” that have long swirled around her family.

As Congress presses for more unredacted Epstein files and survivors demand accountability, the Clintons’ testimony has become a test of how far lawmakers are willing to go in exposing the networks that once shielded Epstein from full legal reckoning.