Former US President Bill Clinton has started his deposition in New York by telling lawmakers he 'did nothing wrong' and saw no signs of Epstein's abuse.
"Before we start, I have to get personal," Clinton said in his opening statement.
"You’ll often hear me say that I don’t recall. That might be unsatisfying. But I’m not going to say something I’m not sure of. This was all a long time ago. And I am bound by my oath not to speculate, or to guess," the 42nd US President added.
"It doesn’t help you for me to play detective 24 years later."
He finished his statement by saying, "Since I am under oath, I will not falsely state that I am looking forward to your questions. But I am ready to answer them to the best of my abilities.”
The 79-year-old noted, "You made Hillary (Clinton) come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing. She has no memory of even meeting him."
He added that "as someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse", he would never have flown on Epstein's plane if he "had any inkling of what he was doing".
"I would have turned him in myself," Clinton says.
“Partisan political theatre”
In a six-hour closed-door testimony on Thursday, Hillary Clinton said she “had no idea” about Epstein’s crimes, dismissing the session as “partisan political theatre.”
Republicans say they plan to release video of her testimony as early as Friday or Saturday.
Images of Bill Clinton appeared in documents related to Epstein. Clinton has previously acknowledged taking trips on Epstein’s private plane.
He denies any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity.
Bill Clinton is testifying before the House Oversight Committee as part of its high-stakes probe into Epstein.
The deposition is taking place at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center in Westchester County, New York — the town that has been the Clintons’ primary residence since leaving the White House.
Republicans have sought to question the former president for months over his past ties to Epstein, negotiating with his legal team over the terms of the interview.
