Bill Clinton Said He Has 'No Information' That Donald Trump Was Involved in Epstein's Crimes

Bill Clinton Said He Has 'No Information' That Donald Trump Was Involved in Epstein's Crimes, but Trump 'Did Know Him Well' The former president was called to testify before members of Congress last week about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein By Meredith Kile Meredith Kile Meredith Kile is a Digital News Writer-Editor at PEOPLE. She has been an entertainment and political journalist for more than a decade, previously working for Entertainment Tonight, VICE and Al Jazeera America. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 3, 2026 12:35PM EST 1 Comment Bill Clinton; Jeffrey Epstein; Donald Trump. Credit : Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Neil Rasmus/Patrick McMullan via Getty; Anna Moneymaker/Getty NEED TO KNOW Bill Clinton testified before members of Congress on Friday about his relationship with Jeffrey EpsteinDuring his deposition, Clinton was asked about Donald Trump and said he never saw anything that made him believe Trump was involved with Epstein's alleged crimesBoth Clinton and Trump appear multiple times in the Epstein files, but Trump has not yet been called to testify In his long-awaited congressional testimony about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, former President Bill Clinton was asked about another U.S. president whose photo appears multiple times in the Epstein files: Donald Trump. Clinton was called before the House Oversight Committee in Chappaqua, N.Y., on Friday, Feb. 27, to answer questions about his time spent with Epstein and what he may have known about the financier and convicted sex offender, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The Department of Justice has released thousands of pages of documents, emails and photographs that were assembled as part of their investigation into Epstein, and both Trump and Clinton were pictured multiple times. Trump has not yet been called to testify before the committee. During his deposition, Clinton, 79, recalled that Trump "never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper with regard to Epstein." "I have no information that he did anything wrong," he added. The former president said he and Trump had one conversation about Epstein in 2002 or 2003, during a charity golf tournament that was held on one of Trump's golf courses. "He somehow knew I had flown in Jeffrey Epstein's aircraft," Clinton recounted. "And he said, 'You know, we had some great times together over the years, but we fell out all because of a real estate deal.' And he said, 'I'm sorry it happened.' That's all." Clinton added that Trump did not elaborate on his "great times" with Epstein, adding, "at the time I took no-- I didn't put any, you know, sexual spin on it." When asked if he thought Trump should be called to testify before the committee, the former president said, "That's for you to decide. But he did know him well, and I once had a brief discussion with him about it." Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump shake hands at the Inaugural Luncheon on Jan. 20, 2017. Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Prior to the public release of the full testimony, Republicans and Democrats on the House Oversight Committee offered slightly different interpretations of Clinton's comments about Trump's relationship to Epstein. Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican, spoke with the press to debrief parts of the hearing, saying Clinton testified he'd "never seen anything to make [him] think Trump was involved with Epstein." Following Comer's comments, however, the House Oversight Democrats took to X and wrote, "Let's be clear: today, President Clinton raised more questions about the relationship between President Trump and Epstein — specifically with regards to the reason their relationship ended. Claims that President Clinton fully exonerated Trump are wrong and a mischaracterization." Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. Scan to download now! Before his hearing, Clinton released his impassioned opening statement on social media. In his introduction, he seemed to hint at a belief that Trump should also be held accountable for his own connections to Epstein. "I'm here today for two reasons," Clinton began. "The first is that I love my country. And America was built upon the idea that no person is above the law, even Presidents — especially Presidents." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The statement also chastised the committee for calling his wife to testify. "Before we start, I have to get personal," Clinton said. "You made Hillary come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing. She has no memory of even meeting him. She neither traveled with him nor visited any of his properties. Whether you subpoenaed 10 people or 10,000, including her was simply not right." He maintained that he had no idea about Epstein illicit behaviors and alleged trafficking operation, saying, "As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing — I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes, not sweetheart deals." "No matter how many photos you show me, I have two things that at the end of the day matter more than your interpretation of those 20-year-old photos: I know what I saw, and more importantly, what I didn't see," Clinton added. "I know what I did, and more importantly, what I didn't do. I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong." Related Stories Hillary Clinton Shouted at Lauren Boebert and Got Up After Learning Deposition Photo Was Leaked to MAGA Podcaster: 'I Am Done!' Bill Clinton Explains Viral Hot Tub Photo Released in Epstein Files During Deposition In January, the Clintons released a lengthy public letter announcing their refusal to appear for their originally scheduled House testimonies, conceding that it might lead Comer to hold them in contempt. "We've tried to give you the little information we have. We've done so because Mr. Epstein's crimes were horrific," they wrote. "If the Government didn't do all it could to investigate and prosecute these crimes, for whatever reason, that should be the focus of your work — to learn why and to prevent that from happening ever again." They added, "You accepted the least from those who know the most but demand the most from those who know the least. To say you can't complete your work without speaking to us is simply bizarre." Close Leave a Comment Read more: Politics